“I’m super motivated ahead of my first race in the new team jersey” – Biniam Girmay’s long-awaited NSN debut signals fresh start

For months, Biniam Girmay’s move to NSN Cycling Team has sat in the background of the transfer market as one of the most intriguing stories of the winter. A historic green jersey winner, a headline signing for a rebranded WorldTour project, and a rider openly seeking a structure better suited to his sprinting and classics strengths.

Now, that long build-up has a start line. Girmay will make his first appearance in NSN colours at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana on 4 February, marking the first visible step in a season that many believe could be pivotal for both rider and team.

“I had a super nice January camp in Mallorca with the guys, and we were able to do some race simulations, which looked quite good,” Girmay explained in an NSN press release. “Of course, going into the first race, you never quite know how you are or how the other riders are going, but I am confident in my shape. I can still make some improvements, but I am where I want to be at this point in the season, and I’m super motivated ahead of my first race in the new team jersey.”

Those words carry more weight than a routine pre-season update. They speak to a rider who arrives at a new team not searching for form, but arriving with purpose.

When Girmay chose NSN, the message from his camp was clear. He wanted a team environment that could be built more directly around his sprint finishes and classics ambitions. The early months of 2026 already show that intention in practice.

At Valenciana, he will be supported in the sprints by Guillaume Boivin, Tom Van Asbroeck, Matîs Louvel and fellow new recruit Lewis Askey. It is a lineup that reads less like a generic early-season roster and more like a group assembled with a specific objective in mind.

Sports director Dimitri Claeys was open about that intention. “Of course, we are lining up at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana with the objective of stage wins, and we have a strong sprint train around Biniam to try to achieve that goal,” Claeys said.

“But, as it is Biniam’s first race with the team and with this lead-out group, one of our biggest goals is to really gain racing experience as a group, improve teamwork, integrate the new riders, and learn how best to race with each other," he adds. “Focusing on these aspects will be crucial as the season continues, and we want to build that strong foundation already.”

The emphasis is telling. This is not framed as a one week result chase, but as the beginning of a longer process.

Girmay himself is clear about the immediate objective. “The first stage is definitely my main objective. Stage three will be tough, and it depends on the way the GC guys are also racing it, but on a good day, I can survive the climb and be there for the sprint, as it’s another good opportunity. We will take things day by day.”

Alongside the sprint focus, Riley Sheehan and Pau Martí have been given freedom to pursue the general classification without pressure, another sign that the primary tactical focus of the week sits around the sprint project.

For Girmay, this debut is less about the calendar date and more about what it represents. After a winter of anticipation and a transfer that raised expectations across the peloton, the first race in NSN colours finally provides a glimpse of how the project around him begins to take shape on the road.

Valenciana may only be five stages in February, but for Girmay it marks the true start of a new chapter that has been months in the making.