He had almost left home, but stayed in Belgium and won Gent-Wevelgem. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) was the fastest of a quartet with Christophe Laporte, Jasper Stuyven and Dries Van Gestel. He is the first African on the honors list of Gent-Wevelgem.
Ghent-Wevelgem in a nutshell
- Winner of the day: Biniam Girmay only joined as a last resort, saw the right moment to attack in the final and won. In his first full professional season, the 21-year-old Eritirean already amazed in Milan-Sanremo and the E3, so that he was added to the starting list of Gent-Wevelgem at the very last moment. Like an experienced hand, he guided himself to victory. A monumental moment for African cycling.
- Losers of the day: Wout van Aert was clearly the strongest on the climbs of the Kemmelberg, but in the final Jumbo-Visma pulled Christophe Laporte’s card. Just like in E3, he finished in second place, but if there was still a broad smile then there was now a pout on the Frenchman.
- Statistics: Biniam Girmay is the first African rider to win a cycling classic.
Van Aert impresses on the Kemmelberg
Boring, duller, dullest. The cycling fans were not spoiled for the first 150 kilometers of the 84th edition of Gent-Wevelgem. Even De Moeren couldn’t move.
The first of 3 loops around the Kemmelberg sent the stress level in the peloton skyrocketing. Due to a fall, the suit broke into several pieces. The tone was immediately set for the rest of the afternoon. Fragmentation was the code word.
After the 3 Plugstreets – unpaved strips reminiscent of the battles of the First World War – the empire of the 7 refugees (with the Belgians Wallays, Robeet and De Vylder) was over.
On the next two climbs of the Kemmelberg, the following scenario was repeated: Wout van Aert bluffed everyone, Kasper Asgreen and Mads Pedersen followed fastest. But it continued to roll with muscles.
Sprinter teams can’t get it sorted
In the final it seemed like an elite group in the making, but from the background one bunch of riders came back after another.
A large peloton with fast guys like Merlier, Philipsen, Démare and Kristoff, but without sprint bombs like Jakobsen, Groenewegen and Bennett, formed.
Just before the merger, a quartet still smuggled a few seconds together. Biniam Girmay, Jasper Stuyven, Dries Van Gestel and Christophe Laporte found each other wonderfully.
Perfect blocking work was done behind them, including by Benoot and Van Aert. The 250 kilometers on unfamiliar roads had not diminished Girmay’s sprint speed. He went on early and referred Laporte to 2nd place.
Laporte: “Disappointed for the team and for myself”
- Christophe Laporte (second): “I’m very disappointed for the team and for myself. You don’t get a chance like this every week. But I’m happy for Girmay. In the sprint I was forced to the front early. Girmay came out quickly and I was surprised by his splitting attack. He immediately hit a gap. I made a mistake, I should have started myself. I came up, but it was too late.”
- Dries Van Gestel (third): “I didn’t think I would be the fastest in the sprint, but the wind was bad to try something in the last kilometer. I knew Bini was very fast, but he already started at the 250 board meters, with a lot of speed and against the wind. It already hurt to get on his wheel. For me it is going very well this year. There is a new wind blowing at the team, since the arrival of Peter (Sagan) among others , and thanks to our new material.”
Reactions after Gent-Wevelgem:
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Cycling history! Biniam Girmay sprints to victory in Gent-Wevelgem
