"His feeling and values are more than okay" - Intermarché - Wanty have high hopes of Biniam Girmay at Sanremo
Cycling
The 'Sprinter Monument' Milano-Sanremo lists only very few pure sprinters among favorites this Saturday. Even many classics men can only dream of holding the wheel of Tadej Pogacar or Mathieu van der Poel, but Biniam Girmay does. The winner of three Tour de France stages last year and 2022 Gent-Wevelgem champion made many sacrifices to be at the front in Sanremo.
"Bini actually completed a 2.5 week altitude training camp. Because in Eritrea he lives at an altitude of 2,100 metres," says his Intermarché - Wanty coach Frederik Veuchelen to Sporza. He followed Girmay's training sessions in Eritrea from a far, yet as closely as possible. To keep in touch when the Eritrean hero travels to spend time with his family back home was often a problem in the past.
"It is known that the internet connection in Eritrea, and therefore also to Bini, is very limited. As a result, we sometimes did not hear from him for a long time. But we have been working on that for the past 2 years. Bini now keeps a much stricter record of his training data and tries to upload it regularly. If the uploading doesn't work, he calls me to tell me about his training and his feelings."
Veuchelen also received regular phone calls from Eritrea over the past 3 weeks. "And it was always full of positivity. Bini is happy that his wife safely delivered his second daughter. That could give him an extra boost tomorrow."
Milano-Sanremo
"If you ask Bini which classic he wants to win, he will always answer Milano-Sanremo," Veuchelen knows. "That race is at the top of his bucket list, it is the race of his dreams this year. It is a classic that inspires him, because he knows that with a bit of luck he can win La Primavera."
"With even more volume and aerobic training, we have specifically worked towards Milano-Sanremo this season. As a result, Bini now has a broader base to fall back on during the race."
Obviously, the best sprinter of last Tour de France will probably never keep equal footing with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar. But limiting the damage is something Girmay worked on too in the past months:
"Because when Pogacar and Van der Poel attack uphill, he will always be lacking something. Thanks to these specific training sessions, we hope that Bini can connect with the big guns at the top of the Poggio or on the descent."
The signals are already positive. "On Tuesday and Wednesday, Bini trained on the Cipressa and the Poggio. The cadence looked very smooth. Also the way he sat on his bike, his recovery feeling and his values are more than okay," Veuchelen concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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