GP de Wallonie: On home turf, Tour de Luxembourg stage 1

 

Roger Adria powers through for victory

Intermarché-Wanty raced on home turf at the GP de Wallonie with a spectacular finish at the Citadel of Namur. Georg Zimmermann attacked with 15 kilometers to go with Mads Wurtz Schmidt. On the cobbled climb with 3 kilometers to go, Zimmermann dropped his companion before being caught in the final 500 meters. Biniam Girmay sprinted to finish in fourth place. 

"It was a complicated race for the attackers. Our plan was to follow the moves, and so I took advantage of an acceleration at t a critical moment to go, but the headwind was too strong. With Wurtz, we were at our limit and working perfectly together, but the two or three kilometers of valley before the Citadel were fatal for us. Despite everything, this performance today allows me to approach the last month of the season with optimism, including the World Championships."

-Georg Zimmermann

"I am disappointed with this result because I feel like I let victory slip away. I wanted to take the last corner on the outside, but it was a mistake. A rider hit me at that moment, as a result I lost a lot of speed and lost positions. I felt very strong on the final straight, but I was coming back from too far to be able to win. I'm still looking on the bight side, my form is excellent for this end of the season and I will continue to hunt for victory."

-Biniam Girmay






Comments