Biniam Girmay initially kept his lips tightly sealed but has now spoken out about his future. The Eritrean will not race for the merged Lotto-Intermarché team next year. At least before the start of the EFGH Singapore Criterium, he left little to the imagination.
"The chance that I would stay with the team was initially fifty-fifty. But now I'm almost certain that won’t be the case," the strong sprinter told Cyclingnews. As expected, Intermarché-Wanty is missing from the preliminary UCI WorldTour license application list for the upcoming season. Lotto did submit the required documents on time. It is said to be a joint application from the two Belgian teams.
The absence of registration for the Walloon team means, according to UCI regulations, that riders are allowed to terminate their contracts early. For leader Biniam Girmay, this seems to open the door for a move to a new team. The speedy rider has long been linked to Premier-Tech. There is even talk of a verbal agreement between the two parties.
No clear answer yet
In the interview with Cyclingnews, however, Girmay paints a different picture. "It’s not the right time to talk about it, as it’s not just my decision," he hinted regarding his potential departure from Intermarché-Wanty.
"We are still talking with several good teams, but for now, it’s just talk because I can’t do anything without knowing what my current team plans. At this moment, I also don’t know if I’m free to sign with another team. Nothing has been signed yet, nothing is on paper," Girmay concluded.
