JESI, ITALY - MAY 17: Hailu Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Team Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux celebrates winning during the 105th Giro d'Italia 2022, Stage 10 a 196km stage from Pescara to Jesi 95m / #Giro / #WorldTour / on May 17, 2022 in Jesi, Italy. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images) © Tim de Waele
Intermarché-Wanty says goodbye to Biniam Girmay after 4.5 seasons: “Sometimes you have to embrace change”
Intermarché-Wanty is saying goodbye to Biniam Girmay after 4.5 seasons, the Belgian WorldTour team confirmed Friday in a press release.
The 25-year-old Girmay moved to Intermarché-Wanty in the summer of 2021 and made his breakthrough at the highest level in 2022 with a victory in Gent-Wevelgem and a stage in the Giro d'Italia. After a difficult year, he returned to prominence in 2024. The Eritrean sprinted to three stage wins in the Tour de France (in Turin, Colombey-les-deux-Églises, and Villeneuve-sur-Lot) and also won the points classification. Last season, things went slightly less smoothly, and he failed to win a single stage, limiting his professional career to sixteen. Intermarché-Wanty will merge with Lotto next season, but according to media reports, Girmay will join NSN Cycling Team, the successor to Israel-Premier Tech, starting in 2026.
"It's been an incredible journey for me at Intermarché-Wanty," said Girmay. "I'm still grateful for the confidence they showed in me five years ago and for the opportunity I was given to become a WorldTour rider. Over the past few years, we've built a strong bond based on mutual trust and grown together, step by step, from a lower profile to the highest level of international cycling. We've worked hard and pushed each other to constantly improve. We've achieved great things and shown what's possible when everyone shares the same vision. I've genuinely enjoyed being part of this team—with the riders, the staff, and the team management—each has contributed in their own way. Sometimes you have to embrace change. It's time for a new chapter."
