"It’s incredible how this success still resonates with people" - Biniam Girmay ready to add new success to his Classics palmares
Cycling
Since his super success at the 2022 Gent Wevelgem, Biniam Girmay was always counted among outsiders for success at the Flemish Classics, yet he wasn't quite able to make things connect in recent years. Fast forward to 2025, the Eritrean star is back at the start of E3 Saxo Classic - the race where Girmay's star was born when he finished 5th, just two days before his great breakthrough.
"Every time I step onto the starting podium, the announcer brings up my Gent Wevelgem victory in 2022. It’s incredible how this success still resonates with people, even after three years," Girmay said with a smile on his face in an interview with Cyclism'Actu before E3 Saxo Classic.
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"There’s a special anecdote behind this success that always makes me smile. I was originally scheduled for La Roue Tourangelle that day, but after a great performance in my first E3 Classic, we made a last-minute change – a winning choice," the Eritrean laughs.
There's a busy schedule in Belgium ahead of Girmay with E3 Saxo Classic (March 28), Gent Wevelgem (March 30), Dwars door Vlaanderen (April 2) and finally the Tour of Flanders (April 6) in a quick succession.
"I'm really looking forward to returning to the Flemish classics, especially because I'm feeling great at the moment. I was happy with my performance at Milano-Sanremo [14th, ed.], with a good feeling on the Cipressa and the Poggio. And I'm also looking forward to racing on my birthday at Across Flanders to soak up the incredible atmosphere that awaits us at the Tour of Flanders," added the man who will soon celebrate his 25th birthday.
A week later, the Intermarché - Wanty leader will compete at Paris-Roubaix before travelling back home to spend time with family, participate at National Championships (Biniam is Eritrean time trial champion from 2022) and prepare for Tour de France where he'll be defending the Green jersey awarded to best sprinter of the race.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
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- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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