Disappointed Girmay still getting used to the NSN sprint train: 'We learned a thing or two today'

Dominant in the intermediate sprints, but just short in the first sprint opportunity: Biniam Girmay finished sixth in the fifth stage of the Tour de France, well behind winner Olav Kooij. The Eritrean rider from the NSN Cycling Team had to come from far behind and didn’t have the legs to close the gap. How does he feel after this missed opportunity?

NSN had put together an excellent sprint train for Girmay up to that point, but—like virtually every other team—saw its lead-out disrupted by the turns in the final kilometers. In the final stretch, the former green jersey winner was still able to gain some ground, but he didn’t come close to Kooij, who claimed his first victory in the Tour de France.

So sixth place was the best we could do. A disappointment, of course, but it was a hectic final. “These days start off very calmly, but then everyone wants to make a move,” Girmay tells Eurosport. “Everyone’s fresh. It was chaotic—there were a lot of crazy moves. I tried to stay calm with my teammates and stay in a good position. But it was stressful.”

For NSN, this was the first time they would be fielding Girmay in the Tour de France, after he’d been able to train throughout the spring. But in the end, the sprinter himself made a few mistakes, he says. “I waited a little too long in the final kilometers. I could have moved up a bit more, but it is what it is. Olav Kooij was super fast today.”

The level-headed Eritrean isn’t the type to get angry or disappointed very easily. Even after finishing in sixth place, he remains calm. “It’s the first sprint stage; it’s always difficult to work together and know exactly what’s needed. There are still plenty of opportunities to come. I felt good. Sometimes you win in sprints, sometimes you lose. We learned a thing or two today.”