Biniam Girmay was given a warning by race judges for 'intimidation during the sprint' but Søren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility thought the NSN rider should have been relegated down the stage 8 results at the Tour de France, saying "he rode like a complete idiot."
Helicopter footage of the sprint showed how Girmay appeared to lean on Wærenskjold and force him wide as they both swept around the final corner. They were both several places behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) led out teammate Jasper Philipsen but Girmay managed to follow Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) as the Belgian came from behind to win in Bergerac with a long and strong sprint. Girmay came off his wheel near the line but finished second.
Wærenskjold finished 11th after being forced to brake in the curve to avoid crashing into the barriers. He was not happy. "He pushed like crazy. It makes me pretty angry," Wærenskjold told Norwegian television channel TV2 beyond the finish.
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"He pushed me throughout the entire corner. It was really irritating. He bumped into me several times, and he rode like a complete idiot.
"I was too far back and lost my momentum through the corner. I think the incident needs to be reviewed. He behaved like an idiot the whole way. It is desperate riding, and it is totally undeserved that he finishes ahead of me. I get annoyed by that kind of behaviour. This was too much."
Girmay had explained his version of events when speaking about his sprint to Eurosport. "We took the last 500 metres so fast. It was the last moment, and nobody braked," Girmay said. "A guy from Uno-X went into my handlebars. Luckily I saved it, but I lost a lot of speed. That cost me…"
TV2 said they spoke to a UCI commissaire who suggested it was a sprinting incident, with no plans to further punish Girmay. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) was also given a warning for 'Intimidation during the sprint'. Both perhaps risk a yellow card or relegation if they repeat their actions.
Uno-X team manager Thor Hushovd and his sports directors reviewed the video of the sprint but ultimately opted not to make any kind of protest. "I can relate to that situation, but it is part of sprinting," ten-time Tour de France stage winner Hushovd told TV2. "It is good that Søren is angry because it shows that he is in a good place, both mentally and physically."
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