{"id":252493,"date":"2026-07-11T17:37:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T17:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/if-i-see-how-i-sprinted-its-crazy-biniam-girmay-accepts-that-tim-merlier-is-fastest-in-the-tour-de-france-sprints\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T17:37:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T17:37:52","slug":"if-i-see-how-i-sprinted-its-crazy-biniam-girmay-accepts-that-tim-merlier-is-fastest-in-the-tour-de-france-sprints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/if-i-see-how-i-sprinted-its-crazy-biniam-girmay-accepts-that-tim-merlier-is-fastest-in-the-tour-de-france-sprints\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;If I see how I sprinted, it&#8217;s crazy&#8217; &#8211; Biniam Girmay accepts that Tim Merlier is fastest in the Tour de France sprints"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-317fdbb0-7d4d-11f1-b751-59f526523e20\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/biniam-girmay-hailu\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/biniam-girmay-hailu\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/biniam-girmay-hailu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biniam Girmay<\/a> (NSN) dove into Tim Merlier&#8217;s slipstream as the Belgian <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-tim-merlier-claims-back-to-back-victories-on-stage-8-with-furious-sprint-into-bergerac\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-tim-merlier-claims-back-to-back-victories-on-stage-8-with-furious-sprint-into-bergerac\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-tim-merlier-claims-back-to-back-victories-on-stage-8-with-furious-sprint-into-bergerac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surged past his rivals<\/a> in the final 500 metres of the sprint in Bergerac, but Girmay could do little but follow him over the line to take second place on stage 8 of the Tour de France. Girmay admitted that the Soudal-QuickStep sprinter is the fastest finisher at the 2026 Tour.<\/p>\n<p>Girmay moved up from around tenth place as the sprint began, finishing behind Merlier, with Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMS CGM) third and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) fourth after being swamped from behind.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-317fdbb0-7d4d-11f1-b751-59f526523e20-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Girmay clashed with a rider from Uno-X Mobility, damaging his handlebars but still fearlessly contested the sprint.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container=\"\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We took the last 500 metres so fast. It was the last moment, and nobody braked,&#8221; Girmay told <em>Eurosport<\/em> of the last corner fight for position and then the 72kph sprint to the line.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;A guy from Uno-X went into my handlebars. Luckily I saved it, but I lost a lot of speed. That cost me\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Asked if he could have won the stage, Girmay conceded that Merlier is on fire.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;If I see how I sprinted, it&#8217;s crazy, so I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;d have won. Merlier was strong, he&#8217;s fast for the moment,&#8221; the Eritrean rider said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-zfnmd8JeNm9iPUaHAFF4pA\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-zfnmd8JeNm9iPUaHAFF4pA slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Girmay&#8217;s only consolation came in the battle for the green points jersey.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He scored 50 points for his second place and is now just 25 points behind Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who leads the sprint competition with a total of 228 points. Merlier&#8217;s stage wins have lifted him to second on 213 points, and Girmay has 203 points.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">For now, Girmay is not counting points; he has other goals. &#8220;I want to win a stage, that&#8217;s my first priority,&#8221; he said bluntly. &#8220;I want to win a stage, then after that there&#8217;s the green jersey.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-cf4e72de-7d4d-11f1-b187-d1f88304819c\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/if-i-see-how-i-sprinted-its-crazy-biniam-girmay-accepts-that-tim-merlier-is-fastest-in-the-tour-de-france-sprints\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biniam Girmay (NSN) dove into Tim Merlier&#8217;s slipstream as the Belgian surged past his rivals in the final 500 metres of the sprint in Bergerac, but Girmay could do little but follow him over the line to take second place on stage 8 of the Tour de France. Girmay admitted that the Soudal-QuickStep sprinter is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}