Tour de France tension as furious Wærenskjold blasts Girmay: ‘He rides like a complete idiot’

Apart from a crash involving Stefano Oldani of Caja Rural, all the riders fortunately stayed upright during the finale of Stage 8 of the Tour de France. However, not everything met the standards expected by the race jury. Olav Kooij received a warning for a minor push, while Biniam Girmay was also warned following an incident with Søren Wærenskjold. The Norwegian was furious about his sprint rival’s behaviour.

Just before the final corner, Girmay attempted to move up on the inside for NSN, coming into contact with the powerful Uno-X Mobility rider, who only just managed to stay upright. “He is pushing like a madman. It makes me really angry because he pushes me throughout the entire corner. It is incredibly annoying. He hits me several times and rides like a complete idiot,” Wærenskjold fumed in comments reported by TV2.

Wærenskjold, who had finished second on Friday’s stage, saw his chances disappear in the incident, while Girmay went on to take second place. “I was too far back and lost speed through the corner. I think this needs to be investigated. He behaves like an idiot all the time. It is desperate riding, and he absolutely did not deserve to get past me. This kind of behaviour irritates me. It really went too far,” the Norwegian said.

Uno-X Mobility general manager and former sprinter Thor Hushovd understood his rider’s frustration. “I can relate to that situation very well. It is part of racing. It is good that Søren is angry, because that means he is fully switched on, both mentally and physically.”

“It is permitted to lodge a protest, so we will look at the situation. I hope Girmay behaved properly. Should he have made a mistake, we will take action, because that cannot happen,” Hushovd said. Uno-X ultimately decided not to submit a formal protest, although Girmay was still given an official warning by the race jury.