The team Intermarché-Wanty you sprint Eritrean Biniam Girmayauthor of an excellent season, including three stage victories on the Tour de France as well as the green jersey of the best sprinter, is in the grip of significant financial difficulties. Indeed, despite the good results of the Belgian team, which finished 9th in the ranking UCIit is among the last teams of the World Tour in terms of budget (14 million euros per season). Even if the presence of Biniam Girmay brings a lot of visibility, the team remains limited and cannot find new sponsors, which prevents them from carrying out major recruitments to support Girmay or even Louis Meintjesthe only rider who can aim for the general classifications to date.
Video – Biniam Girmay after his victory during the 8th stage of the TDF
“We risk bankruptcy”
“We cannot continue like this indefinitely. Not that there is any fear for the future. We have sporting prospects, which are crucial in our current context”said the team director, Aike Visbeekhas The Latest News. “But we cannot afford to sleep and not think long term. This must not become a time bomb. At some point we will have to take these necessary steps. And grow. Otherwise, we risk bankruptcy , unless the connection from the bottom to the top is perfect and you always achieve the maximum result with the minimum personnel A practically impossible task So it is time for new funding to come in. The position of second title sponsor. free… It's strange, in fact, that this void is so difficult to fill. With Biniam Girmay, we have someone with his own identity, who has made headlines in America and stands out enormously in the international market. We sincerely hope that this will eventually come to fruition.
