“I find it boring to watch someone riding alone for 40km on a mountain stage” – Biniam Girmay uses pointed Pogacar comparison to hit back at sprint stage criticism
Cycling
Biniam Girmay has hit back at criticism of quieter Tour de France sprint stages with a pointed comparison to Tadej Pogacar’s Tourmalet demolition. The Eritrean believes flat stages can offer greater uncertainty than mountain days dominated by one rider.
“I can completely understand why viewers think that,” Girmay told Feltet, addressing criticism after a subdued road to Bordeaux. “But we had such a hard day before the sprint stage that nobody wanted to go in the breakaway."
“It depends on what people enjoy, added the former Green Jersey winner. "Sometimes I also find it boring to watch someone riding alone for 40km on a mountain stage.”
Pogacar had attacked five kilometres below the summit of the Col du Tourmalet one day earlier and completed the final 43 kilometres to Gavarnie-Gedre alone. He finished 2:38 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, with Isaac del Toro leading the next group home at 2:57. “I prefer watching sprint stages because you never know who is going to win,” Girmay added.
Why the peloton refused to attack before Bordeaux
Only Baptiste Veistroffer and Jakub Otruba committed to the main breakaway on the 175.1-kilometre Stage 7. Their advantage was controlled throughout the afternoon before both riders were caught with 18 kilometres remaining.
The previous stage had contained five categorised climbs and more than 4,000 metres of elevation between Pau and Gavarnie-Gedre. Pogacar’s attack had also forced the leading teams and their support riders into a demanding chase across the Tourmalet and final climb.
Once Veistroffer and Otruba were caught, Uno-X Mobility launched several late moves before the sprint trains took control. Tim Merlier came through in the final 200 metres to beat Soren Waerenskjold, with Girmay recovering from a poor position to finish third.
The winner remained uncertain until Merlier passed Waerenskjold near the line, contrasting with Pogacar’s 43-kilometre ride towards an unchallenged victory the previous afternoon.
Pogacar put in a dominant solo to win stage 6
“More entertaining than the fight for yellow”
Pogacar now leads Vingegaard by 2:42, with UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate Del Toro third at 3:27. Mads Pedersen’s advantage over Girmay in the points classification stands at 59 points. “It is more entertaining to watch the fight for green than the fight for yellow,” Girmay said.
The contest has required Girmay to expend energy long before the bunch sprints. He and Pedersen have regularly challenged at the intermediate points, including during stages offering little chance of victory for either rider.
“It takes a lot of energy,” Girmay admitted. “Especially during the last four days, the racing was already very hard before we reached the mountains. Yesterday it was not a problem, but on the days before that it cost a lot of energy. Once I had not even recovered by the time I crossed the finish line.”
Girmay has not yet converted his form into a stage victory. He believes his condition compares favourably with the other sprinters after the harder stages, but his position in Bordeaux left Merlier and Waerenskjold with too much of an advantage.
“I am at my level and I feel better than the other sprinters, especially after a few hard stages,” he told Sporza. “But when you are not properly positioned in a sprint, you can be as fast as you want. You have no chance.”
Pedersen leads the points classification with 204, followed by Girmay on 145, Merlier on 125 and Waerenskjold on 114.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- as we all like the david-style rebels, he will leave a gap.Ketterechts12-11-2026
- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026
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