This Monday, the eight riders of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux enjoyed a second rest day in Abruzzo, close to the Vini Fantini headquarters.
After nine stages, the selection under the direction of Valerio Piva and Steven De Neef finished seven times in the top ten, or six times among the five best riders.
In the opening stage, Biniam Girmay was only defeated by Mathieu van der Poel, conquering the best rider’s jersey. The Eritrean rider then obtained three top five finishes in the sprint and another one thanks to a breakaway on a hilly circuit around Naples.
On the third day, Rein Taaramäe climbed on the third step of the podium on top of the Etna, the first mountain top finish of the event. Yesterday, Domenico Pozzovivo (6th) sprinted with the favorites for the victory on top of Blockhaus.
The World Team starts the second week with two riders in the top ten of the provisional classification thanks to Pozzovivo (8th) and Jan Hirt (14th).
Biniam Girmay is currently second in the points classification. The 22 year old rider shared his feelings after the first week of his Grand Tour debut in a press conference.
« After nine days of racing in my first Grand Tour, I finished five times in the top five, but I especially learned a lot. Inevitably, I feel fatigue. But I'm determined to reach Verona, because finishing this Giro would e another important step for my development. » « Today, I enjoyed the rest day to the fullest in company of the team. The atmosphere is nice both during and after the races. We usually stay one hour at the dinner table after finishing our meals and we communicate well during the races. My teammates help me in the preparation of the sprint, but when I'm in the gruppetto I also contribute by picking up bottles at the team car. This solidarity enables me to express myself on the bike. » « My goal didn't change since the start in Hungary, a stage win is what I'm aiming for. I take it day by day and we'll see if I can stay in the mix for the maglia ciclamino, because it's the first time that I participate in a race longer than one week. »
