Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) took his 3rd stage victory on Thursday by winning the field sprint ahead of Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel – Premier Tech). Girmay now leads the Green jersey competition with 328 points.
Girmay credited his win to the Green jersey and his team. “Since I started to wear this green jersey, somehow I felt super fast, especially in my mind. I believe I can prove I’m the best. I’ve had a lot of ups and down with crashes. But this year I completely changed my training. I hope it continues like this.”
Van Aert came close but got boxed in on the fence. “I was trapped between Démare and the fences. I should look back and see what happened. But anyway, I had to relaunch myself and still came close to winning. So yeah, if I hadn’t had to keep my legs still, I would have had a good chance. It’s important to remember the good things from today. Of course I’m happy that I felt good again. I hope it stays that way and that I can forget yesterday as soon as possible.”
Arnaud Démare was relegated in the sprint for deviating his line and lost his third place. “What happened to me only motivates me more for the next stages in this Tour that could end in a mass sprint. A good flow has developed at Arkéa-B&B Hotels. We will continue in this way and do everything we can to continue to shine.”
RESULTS
Stage 12: Aurillac > Villeneuve-sur-Lot (203.6km)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
