'Better team mates' and 'better tyres': Next to Iniesta, Girmay criticizes former team at NSN presentation
CyclingThursday, 02 July 2026 at 15:45
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Follow us on GoogleNSN may be listed as a Swiss team, but the team has Catalan roots. Not least because former football (soccer) legend Andrés Iniesta is one of the founders of the sports entertainment company NSN (Never Say Never). The Word Cup winner joined the Tour de France press conference on Wednesday. IDL Pro Cycling was there to bring you the details.
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Iniesta, Man of the Match and winning goal scorer at the 2010 World Cup final, is still a legend in his home country. So organising a successful cycling press conference, especially when Spain is set to face Austria in the current football World Cup, was mean feat for NSN.
At first, the Spanish journalists also try to keep the conversation on cycling with a few questions about the sport, but at some point the conversation inevitably turned to Football. Iniesta answers every question politely, but the NSN press officers at the chic ME Hotel in the city center occasionally exchange glances and shake their heads.
Why did Iniesta get involved with NSN?
"The cycling team is part of a company founded in 2018 with amazing people who are active in many different fields. "At first, the focus was very much on soccer, but ultimately we’re just sports enthusiasts in general," Iniesta explains, detailing why he decided to invest in NSN.
"A while ago, I had the opportunity to get involved in this project. As I mentioned a few months ago, cycling is really something I grew up with. When I was little, I always watched the Tour de France in the summer, back in Miguel Indurain’s day,” said the former Barcelona player, born in 1984.
"I think soccer and cycling are very similar, but I think cycling is tougher. I think they really have to pay attention to every millimeter, because seconds can make all the difference. But I was very impressed when I was at the Tour of Catalonia. That’s why it’s also something I’m happy to learn from as a person."
Read more below the photo!
Biniam Girmay and Andres Iniesta at the NSN press conference.
Next to Iniesta sits team captain Girmay, who, as it turns out, also has a background in soccer. “It’s been more than eleven years now since my father advised me to make a choice; I was about eleven or twelve at the time and was playing soccer. I had a knack for it, but in Eritrea, cycling is a lot more popular—something people here might not know. That’s why I decided to switch back then.”
"Looking back, I'm incredibly happy that I became a cyclist and that I was able to make my dreams come true. This is exactly what I dreamed of as a child. I have absolutely no regrets and am just happy with my decision to pursue cycling,” says Girmay, who is really looking forward to his first Tour de France with NSN.
Read also
Girmay takes a dig at Intermarché
"Every year I have a big dream: to win a stage, and I also want to compete for the green jersey again. This year I have really strong teammates around me, compared to the past three years, so I'm super happy and super motivated to start here in Barcelona. We’re going all out for a stage win, and we’re also going to chase the green jersey,” the Eritrean reiterates, echoing his comments from the Baloise Belgium Tour.
Girmay takes a few more pedal strokes toward Intermarché. "To be honest, there isn't really that much of a difference from last year. But as I said, I have stronger teammates around me now and a better lead-out. As for the equipment, everything has stayed more or less the same, though there’s one thing I really want to emphasize: we have better tires now.'
"Last year, we simply didn't have the best tires. For a cyclist, that’s crucial, because your tires are your only point of contact with the road. Now that we do have good tires, you can see that reflected immediately in my results; they’re really a lot better this year than they were in 2025,” says Girmay on behalf of NSN.
Read more below the photo!
The key figures at the NSN press conference.
Girmay is better at handling tough conditions than his fellow sprinters
Girmay won’t get his first chance until day five, but he actually sees a parallel there with his successful 2024 Tour. That year, he won three stages and the green jersey. “When we talk about the sprinters’ chances, we have to look at the start in Italy (in 2024, ed.). Right off the bat, we faced two or three grueling stages in the scorching heat. That takes a much heavier toll on the heavier riders than it does on me, of course. I generally handle the heat very well—much better than most of the other guys.”
"That’s a nice advantage I can count on this year. The first two or three days are immediately pretty hot and tough—except for the time trial, of course. That’s something I’m actually looking forward to. I simply handle those tough days better than the pure sprinters. Of course, almost everyone can climb well these days, but my biggest asset is that I handle the heat well and recover just a little faster from that kind of effort.” Iniesta sits next to him and nods.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Quick one: how does the team time trial scoring actually work for individuals? Do all riders on the team get the same points or only those who finish in the first group?michael5402-07-2026
- - Love this. Balance is everything — don’t blow half your budget on Pogi/Vingo/Remco/Seixas and then have no sprinters. Mid-price climbers who hoover up top-15s on mountain days are gold.davidm02-07-2026
- - Romain Grégoire, oui! French champ plus punchy finishes = stages 6/8/12 (hypothetically) look tailor-made. Allez Romain!patriciaw02-07-2026
- - Riccitello as Plan B behind Seixas is clever. If the kid wobbles, Matteo can ride tempo into a quiet top-Very Sepp Kuss-y vibes.michael5402-07-2026
- - Quick one: How much should we worry about Vacek getting blocked if Pedersen and Ayuso both go hot? Is there a stage profile list you’d earmark as “Vacek green lights”?lindae02-07-2026
- - Magnus Cort in Danish champ kit? Inject that. Suisse climbing legs plus fewer pure sprint finales = textbook Cort stage raids. He always picks his days perfectly.velodromevirtuoso102-07-2026
- - Sorry but I’m not totally convinced on Van Wilder. 5th at Suisse is solid, but his first half of 2026 was ropey. Are we sure he lasts 3 weeks chasing GC without Remco’s train around him? What’s the team support like in the high mountains?breakawaybikerd02-07-2026
- - Is Hindley really going to be “just” a domestique behind Remco and Lipowitz? Feels a bit harsh. He finished the Giro looking fresher than anyone. One bad day for the leaders and he’s straight into top-8 GC territory.andrewf02-07-2026
- - Love this shortlist. Wright as a budget pick makes loads of sense with that GB nat champ form and the Suisse TT signal. If Pidcock hunts GC/punchy stages, Fred’s going to hoover up break points.jeremya02-07-2026
- - Iniesta diciendo que el ciclismo es “más duro” que el fútbol… totalmente de acuerdo. Gran fichaje mediático para NSN.cyclechamp4502-07-2026
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