Valenciana, Girmay is back: the Eritrean wins again. De Lie darts in France

The first day of February, the first day of two short stage races in Europe – the Volta Valenciana in Spain and the Etoile de Besseges in France – and several interesting news items. Starting with who ended up on the cover, with the winners. In Spain the Eritrean Biniam Girmay won the restricted sprint in Altea: yes, it is precisely the 22-year-old from Intermarché capable of making history last year by winning a stage in the Giro and Ghent-Wevelgem. Excluding the Eritrean national timed championship, Girmay hadn’t really won since last year’s Giro in Jesi: his success (which could have arrived as early as January in a round of the Challenge Maiorca) is also proof of the great start to the season his team. Girmay will make his debut on the Tour this year and is firmly aiming for the spring classics, starting with Sanremo. Instead in France another very talented youngster won, the 22-year-old Belgian Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) who is a bit reminiscent of Tom Boonen and has everything to be one of the dominant sprinters of the next decade: this time he finished behind Mads Pedersen, not any one.

ITALIANS – And in all of this, despite the lack of victories, in addition to the good results from Jonathan Milan’s Saudi Arabia, good placings have arrived from the Italians. In France here is the fifth place of Andrea Piccolo (Ef), Lombard born in 2001 who is one of the most promising talents of our cycling. While in Spain Samuele Battistella (7th) and Giulio Ciccone (10th) finished in the top 10.