(Paris) Eritrean Biniam Girmay, who became the first African rider to win a distinctive jersey on a major Tour on Sunday at the end of the Tour de France, has extended his contract with Intermarché-Wanty until 2028, the Belgian team announced on Monday.
“Intermarché-Wanty is like a family to me, the perfect team to achieve my goals. Extending the adventure for two more years is obvious,” commented the 24-year-old rider on his team’s X account.
“Bini” made his mark on this edition of the Grande Boucle, proud to be “the first black African rider” to raise his arms there. He even won three times, in Turin from the third stage, then in Colombey-les-deux-Eglises and in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
With these three successes and thanks to great consistency in the sprints, with also two second places and very good results in the intermediate sprints, Girmay won the green jersey for best sprinter of the Tour de France on Sunday.
With this jersey, he confirms his entry into the caste of great sprinters, where he had made a few appearances in the past, by winning the Giro in 2022 and winning at Ghent-Wevelgem the same year.
His 2023 season had been more difficult, with only two stage victories in the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of the Valencian Community.
“In all circumstances, the team supported me and trusted me, even in the most difficult moments,” he stressed on Monday.
Girmay will look to continue his fantastic July in the Paris Games road race on August 3, where he will be his country’s sole representative.
“I am convinced that we can still achieve great things together, and I am already looking towards the next objectives, starting with the Olympic Games,” he concluded.
Jean-François Bourlart, the boss of the team with the lowest budget in the Tour de France, told AFP last week that “Biniam needs something other than filling his bank account.”