Alex Carera has explained Biniam Girmay's transfer to NSN Cycling. The agent says that the merger between Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto did not play a role in the Eritrean’s move, and that the choice was made on sporting grounds. “A sprinter simply needs more structure than a climber,” he makes clear to Bici.pro.
“We had already decided to leave before the merger plans were announced. At the team, we did notice that management was heavily involved in the merger project. That did put pressure on certain sporting choices such as equipment and the development of the riders and the team. In cycling these days, it’s very important to be focused on that, and the team’s level in 2025 was no longer the same as a year earlier.”
So it was time for Girmay to look elsewhere. The Eritrean had several offers from WorldTeams but chose NSN Cycling Team. “The problem with Israel-Premier Tech was not a sporting issue. We saw that the structure was good, but we were overwhelmed by the political situation. That has since changed on the funding side, but from a sporting perspective, it’s still solid. The Finnish manager (Kjell Carlström, ed.) is and remains simply Finnish.”
NSN intends to build a supportive team around Girmay to get him back to the top. That was exactly what he needed, Carera continues. “A sprinter needs much more structure than a climber. A team that puts him in the best position and waits for the right moment to launch his sprint. Last year, Bini finished second six times, four of those behind a breakaway rider who stayed ahead of the sprinters. That shows the quality is definitely still there. He’s also still very hungry, and I believe that in the next three years he will be back among the top ten riders in the world.”
