With six days of racing and two mountain stages left to run at the Tour de France, points classification leader Biniam Girmay hasn't yet fully secured the green jersey at the race. However, the Eritrean is already planning ahead with his next goal of the season in mind, the Paris Olympic Games.
Girmay has won three stages so far at this year's Tour and likely has a final shot at success coming up on Tuesday with the final sprint stage to Nîmes. On Monday's rest day, he said that green wasn't a goal for him heading into the summer, but that it's now on his hitlist along with the Olympics.
"Initially, the Games were my big goal for this summer," Girmay told WielerFlits. "But once I had won two stages, we really made that green jersey a concrete goal. I definitely want to complete it now.
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"The Games are the next big step. The plan I made with [Intermarché-Wanty performance manager] Aike Visbeek is to further improve my form in this Tour. That way I would be in my best condition at the start in Paris. But I am already in top form in the Tour. That is of course something good and I will take it from there."
Following the weekend's Pyrenean tests, Girmay now holds a 96-point green jersey lead heading into stage 16 with 363 points to last year's green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen's 277.
The jersey isn't yet wrapped up, but with such a margin separating him and second place, Girmay can perhaps afford to look forward to the Olympic road race on August 3. For the remainder of the Tour, he'll have to worry about avoiding crashes and COVID-19 more than losing his large lead.
Come the Olympics, the race's hilly 273km course in Paris features 2,800 metres of elevation gain and looks to suit Girmay's abilities well. However, being the only Eritrean rider in the race will be a complication that few other big favourites have to contend with.
"I hope to finish this Tour safely in Nice. From there it is not far to maintain my current form until the Olympic Games," Girmay said. "What is good to know is that I am the only rider who will represent Eritrea. It will therefore be an extremely difficult race for me.
"But if I can continue what I am doing here in the Tour, then I hope to have the same form during the Olympic Games. If I succeed and I get through the race well, anything is possible.
"I would never go there if I didn't think I had a chance. I feel super good at the moment. So why wouldn't I go for a medal? That was already my plan that I made together with the team. I'm going for the podium."
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