By the time the peloton lines up at Omloop Nieuwsblad on Saturday, most riders will already have some serious racing in their legs this year. The cycling season may start well before “Opening Weekend” but you can’t mistake the feeling in the air. The Classics are upon us.
Although Belgium feels like a second home for Biniam Girmay, having spent many hours training on Flemish roads, he’ll be lining up this weekend for just the second time in his career. Somewhat surprising considering his palmarès includes a win at Gent – Wevelgem and multiple top-10s across various Classics in the last few years.
He says: “It’s quite funny, to be honest – I’ve raced at a lot of the Classics, but I’ve only been to Opening Weekend once. The year I came, I asked my old team to race, and it was OK, but other times I had a program that included Algarve and different races at this time, and other times I don’t know why I didn’t push the team to race. I think that from this year on, for sure, we will come here every year.”
With two wins to his name this season – after his victories on stage 1 of Volta Comunitat Valenciana and Clasica Almeria earlier this month – Biniam exudes his signature humble and quiet confidence ahead of the weekend’s racing.
“We have a big and clear goal with the team, especially for Sunday,” adds Biniam. “It’s going to be tough to win these races, especially on Saturday with the startlist, but we will try anyway. We have a good team around me, full of strong riders who will stay with me until the last part of the races.
“I feel good, and also my teammates feel good. But this is the first race in Belgium, it’s always pretty hectic, so we’re just trying to find the best team spirit, because these races will help us towards our next big goals.”
One thing that has become clear over the past weeks is how well Biniam has gelled with his new teammates and after spending two days doing recon rides of both Omloop Niewusblad and Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne courses, the experience of his teammates shines through.
Fellow newcomers Lewis Askey and Ryan Mullen join Biniam at the start line, alongside Tom Van Asbroeck, Guillaume Boivin, Matîs Louvel, and Riley Sheehan. A wealth of experience and depth, ready to take on the cobbles.
“It was good to remind ourselves of the parcours, but these races are always left, right, and small roads. In Belgium, we always cross the same places, everything is nearby, it’s all pretty similar,” he says.
“But it’s super helpful to have people like Tom and Guillaume, who are experienced in these races, with me. Also, we have Ryan now, and even Lewis and Matîs have raced a lot in Belgium, so they’re also used to this style.”
While Saturday’s Omloop Niewsblad is typically more selective with 8 cobbled sectors and 12 climbs, most of which feature in the final 70 kilometers, Sunday’s race is more sprinter-friendly with a flat finish on offer after the early rolling hills. After his third place at Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne last year, Hugo Hofstetter will return to the race, replacing Van Asbroeck in the lineup and giving the team another card to play.
“We see that all of the guys are in great shape so we’re targeting a great result this weekend,” adds Sports Director Dimitri Claeys. “Of course, we have Biniam as our main leader, but we also have guys like Riley Sheehan, Lewis Askey, and Hugo Hofstetter on Sunday. Good results come from strong teamwork and we’re confident in the way the guys work together. That’s our main focus and from there, the results will come.”
NSN Cycling Team at Opening Weekend (Saturday 28 February/Sunday 1 March)
Omloop riders: Lewis Askey (GBR), Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Biniam Girmay (ERI), Matîs Louvel (FRA), Ryan Mullen (IRL), Riley Sheehan (USA), Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL)
Kuurne riders: Lewis Askey (GBR), Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Biniam Girmay (ERI), Hugo Hofstetter (FRA), Matîs Louvel (FRA), Ryan Mullen (IRL), Riley Sheehan (USA)
Sports Directors: Dimitri Claeys (BEL), René Andrle (CZE), Eric Van Lancker (BEL)