Biniam Girmay leads Intermarché-Wanty's Tour de France green jersey defence

Intermarché-Wanty has announced its eight-rider squad for the 2025 Tour de France, beginning in Lille on July 5, with Biniam Girmay headlining the team as he looks to defend his green jersey from twelve months ago.

The Belgian team have built a team primarily around the Eritrean sprinter, who made history in 2024, becoming the first black African cyclist to win the points classification, as well as three stages. Girmay will be supported by returning teammates Hugo Page and Laurenz Rex, who were key supporters in the team's success last year, plus new additions to the sprint train.

"To build on our success from the 2024 Tour de France, we started working back in August to assemble a team squarely focused on stage victories for the 2025 edition," said Performance Manager Aike Visbeek. "Biniam Girmay is naturally our spearhead for sprint finishes and stages with tricky finals. We've strengthened the core around him by integrating Jonas Rutsch into our team, alongside Laurenz Rex and Hugo Page, and by regularly having talents like Vito Braet and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk race with Biniam."

Both Vito Braet and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk are set to make their Tour de France debut, and the classics specialist Jonas Rutsch, who finished 6th at Paris-Roubaix in April, is set to make his third Tour start, but first in Intermarché-Wanty colours.

Louis Barré, who has been one of the most underrated riders of the season, with highlights including 6th at Amstel Gold and a podium stage finish at the Critérium du Dauphiné, provides an option for the breakaway stages and is also set to make his Tour debut. German climber, Georg Zimmermann, rounds out the squad, making his fifth Tour appearance and provides a solid option for the mountain stages. Both have been touted by Visbeek as potential options for stage wins alongside Girmay.

"We also gave two other serious contenders for stage wins with Georg Zimmermann, who's riding his fifth Tour with us, and Louis Barré, the revelation of the first season half," Visbeek said. "Both are ready to animate the stages. Louis is making his Tour debut, and we're eager to see what he can achieve, especially after what he recently demonstrated at the Dauphiné."

• Louis Barré (FRA) (Tour debut)
• Vito Braet (BEL) (Tour debut)
• Biniam Girmay (ERI)
• Hugo Page (FRA)
• Laurenz Rex (BEL)
• Jonas Rutsch (GER)
• Roel van Sintmaartensdijk (NLD) (Tour debut)
• Georg Zimmermann (GER)