“In the Tour they go twice as fast” - Biniam Girmay's DS backs African trailblazer to rediscover Tour de France winning form after Belgium Tour statement

Biniam Girmay’s Baloise Belgium Tour victory has strengthened belief inside NSN Cycling Team that the Eritrean is moving back towards the level that made him one of the defining sprint stories of the 2024 Tour de France.

Girmay won three stages and the green jersey at that Tour, becoming the first Black African rider to win a stage in cycling’s biggest race. Since then, the same rhythm has not always been there. In Belgium, against several of the fastest men likely to shape the sprint battle in July, he offered a timely reminder.

Four bunch finishes produced four different winners across the week. Girmay struck first, Tim Merlier answered on stage 2, Olav Kooij won in Aarschot and Jasper Philipsen finished the race with a stage win and the overall title. For Sam Bewley, Girmay’s sports director at NSN, that opening victory carried clear Tour de France value.

“It does not get better than beating Tim Merlier in a direct duel,” Bewley said in conversation with WielerFlits. “This was an important week in several respects. To see where the competition stands compared to ourselves, but also to learn how they sprint and position themselves. If you want to compete at the front in the Tour, then you have to be able to take on Merlier, Kooij and Philipsen here.”

Girmay’s win came on the opening day, when a strong lead-out and sharp timing carried him past Merlier and Max Kanter. Kooij and Philipsen were boxed in behind, but the broader message of the week was clear enough: every sprint required perfect execution.

Girmay did not repeat that win across the remaining stages. His positioning was less convincing afterwards, while Merlier, Kooij and Philipsen all found their own moment. Bewley still saw enough in the opening victory to treat Belgium as a useful marker before July.

“The general level is so high at the moment that everything simply has to fall into place,” he said. “We knew he was in good shape, and that he can win if we execute the plans perfectly. But that also applies to those other three. In the Tour they go twice as fast again as in any other bunch sprint. Then you only win if absolutely nothing goes wrong.”

Girmay’s 2024 Tour success created a new benchmark, and a different kind of pressure. Expectations rose sharply, especially from Eritrea, while small setbacks in preparation and the adjustment to a new team left NSN working through the details behind the scenes.

Girmay’s move to NSN has brought a fresh sprint project around him. Bewley said the team had needed time to understand not only the sporting details, but also the way Girmay works best away from racing.

“It has not necessarily been difficult, but it has been interesting,” he said. “We had to answer different questions together. What is the way he likes to prepare? Does he prefer being away a lot, does he like going back home to Eritrea, or does he prefer training in Europe? How does he respond to altitude? What kind of communication does he like with the sports directors and coaches?”

NSN have made practical changes around Girmay, including giving him a more stable European base with a residence permit in Spain. The team have also had to refine his sprint group, lead-out preferences and positioning.

“The Classics were therefore not ideal,” Bewley said. “At that point we were still fully in the process of getting to know and understand each other, and he was still new. But the opposite was also true: he had to get used to our way of working. We have now worked a few things out, which means he will perform better at the next goals.”

Those next goals are obvious. Girmay’s Tour de France record is already historic, but NSN believe there is more to come if the final sharpness arrives over the next two weeks.

“We believe he is still the same rider who won all those stages in the Tour. He is back in that form, but he has to become sharper,” Bewley said. “The Tour is important for every rider, but you can tell from everything that this race means an enormous amount to ‘Bini’. Over the past weeks and months he has been super professional and focused with that one goal in mind. Winning here gives us momentum and extra confidence to succeed there and go for stage wins. We are all looking forward to that.”

Bewley also pointed to a growing presence from Girmay inside the team. “I am pleasantly surprised by the way he takes leadership,” he said. “He is open-minded, but also not afraid to share his own perspective, to speak in the bus and motivate everyone. Internally, we are gradually calling that the ‘Bini effect’, because he lifts everyone else up with it. He is a strong leader and seems very happy, and that may be the key to success.”

Belgium did not settle the Tour sprint hierarchy. It did show that Girmay is back in the same conversation as Merlier, Kooij and Philipsen before the race where he made history two summers ago.