Girmay sprints to second season win in Clásica de Almería
Biniam Girmay has secured his second win of 2026. The Eritrean proved the fastest in a bunch sprint at the Clásica de Almería. Defending champion Milan Fretin finished second, Matteo Moschetti third, and Dylan Groenewegen fourth.
Dylan Groenewegen, Arnaud De Lie, Biniam Girmay – once again this year, several fast men lined up at the Clásica de Almería. Not surprising, as this one-day race in Andalusia almost always ends in a mass sprint. This edition covered 190 kilometers, with the last ninety kilometers being almost entirely flat. The Alto de Celín (6.8 kilometers at 4.7%) and the Alto de Berja (3 kilometers at 4%) were the biggest challenges of the day, but they appeared within the first hundred kilometers.
The breakaway of the day consisted of five riders. Belgian Brem Deman (Flanders-Baloise) rode alongside Hungarian champion Márton Dina (MHB Bank CSB Telecom Fort) and the Spaniards Javier Ibáñez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Pablo Carrascosa (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Ander Okamika (Burgos Burpellet BH). Their maximum lead was just under six minutes.
Heading for a sprint
In the peloton, the sprinters' teams NSN, Unibet Rose Rockets, and Cofidis, which had defending champion Milan Fretin, controlled the race. Later, TotalEnergies also came to assist, and with 25 kilometers remaining, the peloton regrouped. As expected, the stage was set for a mass sprint. In the run-up to that sprint, there were a few crashes, but the main favorites stayed upright.
One of those favorites was Girmay, who was well positioned in the final kilometer by his NSN teammates. The Eritrean then expertly finished the work his teammates had set up. Fretin tried to overtake him but had to settle for second place. Moschetti crossed third, just ahead of Groenewegen. The Dutchman made a strong late surge but came from too far back. He ended up in fourth place.
🚴🇪🇸 | Biniam Girmay wint de Clásica de Almería! De 25-jarige sprinter uit Eritrea verslaat Milan Fretin. Dylan Groenewegen moest van te ver komen en wordt uiteindelijk vierde. #cycling
Wielrennen 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/r4sNf8UaeL
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 15, 2026
