Girmay points to Pogacar dominance in defence of 'boring' Tour sprint stages
Biniam Girmay has pushed back against criticism of long Tour de France sprint stages, arguing that mountain racing can be just as predictable when Tadej Pogacar rides away. For the Eritrean, the uncertainty of a bunch finish is exactly what makes those stages worth watching.
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Another opportunity for the fast men is expected on Saturday, with the 170km stage likely to end in a bunch finish.
That prospect will not appeal to everyone, particularly if the peloton allows a small breakaway to spend most of the afternoon several minutes up the road like on Friday.
“I can completely understand why viewers think that,” Girmay told Feltet. “But we had such a hard day before the sprint stage that nobody wanted to go in the breakaway.”
Girmay argued that the fatigue helps explain why some flat stages take time to come alive, while rejecting the idea that mountain racing is automatically more entertaining.
“It depends on what people enjoy,” Girmay said. “Sometimes I also find it boring to watch someone riding alone for 40km on a mountain stage.”
The comment was an obvious reference to Tadej Pogačar’s devastating attack on stage 6, when the Slovenian gained more than two and a half minutes on Jonas Vingegaard and his other rivals.
For Girmay, sprint stages retain something those performances sometimes lack. The winner usually remains uncertain until the final metres.
“I prefer watching sprint stages because you never know who is going to win,” he said.
Girmay chasing first win
That unpredictability has yet to work in Girmay’s favour at this Tour. He is still searching for his first stage victory, despite feeling that the harder racing has left him in better condition than several of his rivals.
“I am at my level and I feel better than the other sprinters, especially after a few hard stages,” he told Sporza. “But when you are not properly positioned in a sprint, you can be as fast as you want. You have no chance.”
Positioning proved costly again on Friday. Girmay initially believed he was in the right place, but found himself too far back when the decisive acceleration began, leaving him to settle for third behind Merlier and Wærenskjold.
His pursuit of the green jersey has also required him to race aggressively well before the finish. Girmay has regularly contested the intermediate sprints, adding another physical demand to already difficult stages.
“It takes a lot of energy,” he admitted. “Especially during the last four days, the racing was already very hard before we reached the mountains.
“Yesterday it was not a problem, but on the days before that it cost a lot of energy. Once I had not even recovered by the time I crossed the finish line.”
Girmay nevertheless welcomed the number of teams and riders willing to compete for the points classification. “It is more entertaining to watch the fight for green than the fight for yellow,” he said.
The decision of some general classification teams to stay away from the front when they do not need to be involved, Girmay added, had helped to reduce the risks in the finale of stages so far.
“Sprinting is always dangerous, even without corners,” he said. “But the general classification teams make it easier. They do not interfere and stay towards the back of the peloton.
“I have a lot of respect for that because it is still a race and everyone has their own interests. It is safer than usual.”
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