Together, Mike Teunissen and Biniam Girmay are an impressive duo in the cycling peloton, providing each other with valuable assistance. While Teunissen is a recent addition to the team, he and Girmay, have quickly meshed well. Teunissen is confident that with a bit more determination, they can triumph in the March and April classics.
“It's a matter of sharpening up and dotting the i's here”, Teunissen told Indeleiderstrui. He continues, “The Tirreno is a very nice and difficult stage race, so that is actually perfect towards spring. Bini has been away for a while, so it's nice to race with him again. That will of course also be the case in the following weeks. We will have to get used to each other a bit, tighten up and then hopefully get some results with him.”
He has had a moderate season thus far, with several chances to win slipping away. At Le Samyn, he came in 8th place, and in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, he finished 11th. However, he will have another shot at victory in Tirreno-Adriatico.
“It is also just a race with Bini and we have Lorenzo as the classification man. They need support, but beyond that I will try to do my thing. The sprints are a good load anyway and we also have to see from day to day whether I choose one stage to go full throttle or whether I send out on time every day so as not to put myself over the blade. So you are switching gears a bit,” said Teunissen.
Girmay on the other hand is clear about his goals from the race. "This is just a big race, so I would like to win a stage towards the classics. A result in the Tirreno is currently a priority, then spring will come,” concluded Girmay.