Biniam Girmay Extends Contract with Intermarché–Wanty to 2028

After a dominant sprinting performance at the 2024 Tour de France, Biniam Girmay has now extended his contract with the Intermarché–Wanty team until 2028.

Girmay, born on April 2, 2000, in Asmara, Eritrea, became the first black African rider to win a stage at the Tour de France on Stage 3. He would go on to take victory on Stage 8 and Stage 12 as well before winning the Green Jersey as overall leader of the points classification.

Girmay's cycling journey began at the World Cycling Centre in 2018, where he quickly made a name for himself by capturing titles in the road race, individual time trial, and team time trial at the junior African championships. In 2019, he secured his first professional victory at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.

In 2020, Girmay joined UCI ProTeam Nippo–Delko–One Provence and later moved to his current team, Intermarché–Wanty (then called Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), in 2021. His breakthrough year came in 2022 when he became the first black African cyclist to win a Grand Tour stage by clinching Stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia. Girmay has also won the Circuit Franco-Belge and Surf Coast Classic in 2024.

Girmay's achievements have also underscored the undertapped potential of African athletes in professional cycling. As a result his victories have been celebrated globally, and he has expressed a desire to see more African riders in the professional field. By quickly becoming a Tour favorite with great showings in the peloton, as well as advocating for better support for emerging cycling talent from Africa, the decision to extend Biniam Girmay's contract on the part of the Intermarché–Wanty team does not come as a major surprise.

Intermarché–Wanty is a UCI WorldTeam cycling team registered in Belgium and active since 2008. The team employs 46 riders from ten different nationalities and has 12 overall victories in 2024, including Rune Herregodts winning the ZLM Tour, Laurenz Rex winning Le Samyn, and Gerben Thijssen taking the title at the Trofeo. 

The team also carried out an innovative business club program called the Want You Club (WYC), which brings together team partners and sponsors for networking and business development opportunities. The team uses Cube bikes with Shimano groupsets and Newmen wheels. They also partner with brands like Prologo for saddles, Continental for tires, and Uvex for helmets and sunglasses.