"I'm now dealing with a disappointed and angry Biniam" - Aike Visbeek insight into Girmay's disappointment after Tour sprint, Philipsen's possible relegation and sprint safety
Cycling
Biniam Girmay sprinted to third on yesterday's Tour de France flat finale in Bordeaux, however reactions were far from good. Although a good result, the Eritrean was left frustrated by almost colliding with the barriers and Jasper Philipsen's sketchy sprint. Aike Visbeek was quite vocal with the situation, after Philipsen was not relegated in the end.
"Our sprinter couldn't make his sprint, and he came third. That hurts. However, we would not have made much progress with a disqualification from Philipsen, but the fence is now over with the sprinters," team performance manager Aike Visbeek told NOS. "Biniam hit the fence with his shoe, fortunately it just ended well. This is not safe sprinting. He (Jasper Philipsen, ed.) is the best sprinter at the moment, with the best lead-out. He can go straight and then my question is: why don't you go straight?"
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"We talk a lot about safety, and now three sprints are something to criticize. I'm now dealing with a disappointed and angry Biniam, who thinks: 'oh, does it have to be like this?'" Girmay told reporters at the finish that "this is part of sprinting, that's how it always goes" however within the team bus he shows himself more disappointed with the situation.
"He says something different than to me. The fact that he says nothing stems from last year's Giro. Last year he said something about Mathieu van der Poel and he was then portrayed as a bad boy in the media, so from that moment on he decided not to say anything about colleagues anymore," Visbeek added.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Biniam Girmay of Eritrea achieves podium in his first Tour de France 🥉🇪🇷 🎥 @cyclingmedia_ag
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