Biniam Girmay takes victory in Gent Wevelgem from a four-man breakaway
Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay has taken a huge win at Gent Wevelgem; the first major pro victory for the 21-year-old and the first for a black rider in a Belgian classic.
Sam Bennett and Ryan Mullen, both Bora-hansgrohe, were the only two Irish riders in the race, with Bennett finishing 106th in a group at 9:56 and Mullen among the many non-finishers.
At the pointy end of the race, Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) came to the finish in a four-man breakaway with Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies), Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo). They had broken clear after the climbs and with 24km to go.
As they passed under the 5km to go marker, the gap between the four-man breakaway and the remains of the peloton was just over 20 seconds and it appeared the leaders may be caught.
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However, despite a late attack from the peloton by Søren Kragh Andersen (Team DSM), the leaders hung on to fight it out for victory, with Girmay leading out the sprint and getting a slight gap on those he was with.
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Once he had kicked he powered full-on all the way to the line and though Laporte was gaining on him a little, Girmay took a clear victory. Laporte was 2nd with Van Gestel in 3rd and Stuyven in 4th. Kragh Andersen hung on for 5th place at eight seconds, with Tim Merlier (Alpecin Fenix) leading in the bunch right behind him for 6th place.
More to come.
