Biniam Girmay has had a storming season in 2022 and has broke through into the top of the cycling world with top performances in the cobbles classics and hilly races. 2023 will likely see him make his debut at the
Tour de France.
"This course is what we were hoping for, taking into account the roster we had in mind for the Tour de France 2023," team performance manager Aike Visbeek said in a press release. "On the one hand, it will be three challenging weeks through the mountain ranges with a limited number of time trial kilometers, which matches perfectly with the profile of our GC leader Louis Meintjes."
Visbeek revealed it is very likely that Louis Meintjes will return to the Tour, after returning to his best form in 2022 and riding into a 7th position on the road - followed by a stage win and 11th place at the Vuelta a Espana. The Belgian team has surpassed many people's expectations this year, somewhat due to Biniam Girmay. The Eritrean, Visbeek says, is also likely to be at the start in Bilbao.
"Second, I'm pleased with the hilly stages in the beginning of the Tour. This increases the opportunities for Biniam Girmay compared to the pure sprinters, who will battle for stage wins in the second half of the event," he continued. Girmay was a sensation at this year's Giro d'Italia, his debut Grand Tour, with several battles with Mathieu van der Poel making for exciting finales, and the culmination in a stage win in Jesi.
"After finishing in the top eight of the final classification and taking to three podium finishes in key stages to Arenberg, Alpe d'Huez and in Paris in last July, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert will keep chasing a precious first stage win in its sixth participation to La Grande Boucle," he concluded, after having watched the presentation and route reveal of the 2023 Grand Boucle.
