Girmay's NSN Renaissance — Eritrean Sprinter Rebounds With Multiple Wins After Winless 2025
There were plenty of sceptics when Biniam Girmay signed for NSN Cycling Team over the winter. The Eritrean sprinter was coming off a 2025 season that had yielded zero victories — a brutal fall from grace for the rider who had lit up the 2024 Tour de France with stage wins and the green jersey. The move to the Swiss-registered squad, which had its own complicated history, raised eyebrows. But four months into the 2026 campaign, the doubters have been comprehensively silenced. Girmay is winning again, and the smile is back.
The turnaround began on the very first day. At the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in February, Girmay sprinted to victory on stage one, ending a drought that had stretched back over twelve months. "We struggled last year," Girmay said afterwards, with characteristic understatement. "But this is a new team, a new environment, and I feel like a different rider." It was an emotional moment — the kind of victory that carries weight far beyond the result itself, because it proved that the talent and the hunger were still there.
A second win followed swiftly at the Clasica de Almeria, where NSN's leadout train delivered Girmay to the line with a masterclass in sprint organisation. That result was perhaps even more significant than the Valencia stage win, because it demonstrated that the team infrastructure around Girmay was functioning at a WorldTour level. At Intermarché-Wanty, Girmay had often found himself isolated in the final kilometres, lacking the dedicated leadout riders who are essential for any sprinter competing against the best in the world. At NSN, with Alexey Lutsenko and George Bennett among the experienced riders supporting the sprint programme, the dynamic has shifted dramatically.
Girmay's early-season form has also been reflected in the broader team performance. NSN have accumulated six victories in the 2026 season so far — a total that would have seemed ambitious for the entire year just months ago. The investment in building a squad around Girmay's sprint capabilities is paying dividends, and the Eritrean's points haul has the team sitting comfortably in the UCI rankings. It is a far cry from the existential questions that surrounded the team during its off-season restructuring.
The 24-year-old has been characteristically direct about his motivations. "I am here to win, not to be a politician," he told reporters when asked about NSN's past controversies. It is a statement that reflects both Girmay's refreshing honesty and the pragmatism that top-level cycling sometimes demands. The rider who became the first Black African to win a Grand Tour stage at the 2024 Tour de France has never been interested in narratives that don't involve him crossing the finish line first. At NSN, he has found a team that shares that single-mindedness.
The question now is whether Girmay can carry this form into the biggest sprinting appointments of the calendar. The Scheldeprijs on Wednesday offers an immediate test against the likes of Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier, and Dylan Groenewegen — three riders who have shared the last several editions between them. Beyond that, the Tour de France in July looms as the stage where Girmay's 2026 season will ultimately be judged. A return to the green jersey competition, armed with a functioning leadout and renewed confidence, would complete one of the most compelling comeback stories in recent sprint history.
For now, though, the numbers speak clearly enough. After a 2025 that yielded nothing, Girmay has already won multiple times in 2026. His sprint speed remains elite, his positioning has improved with better team support, and his mentality — always his greatest asset — appears stronger than ever. The Eritrean flag is flying again in the WorldTour peloton, and Biniam Girmay is the reason why.