Biniam Girmay wins crash-marred Clasica de Almeria

Biniam Girmay won the 2026 Clasica de Almeria, outpowering Milan Fretin (Cofidis) to the line after a well-drilled sprint train from NSN and a pitch-perfect leadout by Hugo Hofstetter.

The win is Girmay's second of 2026 after his triumph on the opening stage of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana. The finale of the race was a nervous one, with numerous crashes inside the last 15km.

The day's break featured Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural), Pablo Carrascosa (Kern Pharma), Ander Okamika (Burgos), Brem Deman (Flanders - Baloise) and Márton Dina (MBH Bank), and they enjoyed a maximum in excess of four minutes before the sprint teams behind came to the fore.

The bulk of the chasing in the peloton was carried out by NSN, who were working for Girmay, and Unibet Rose Rockets, who were teeing up Dylan Groenwegen. The escapees were caught with 22km remaining, setting the scene for the expected bunch sprint.

The final portion of the race took place on a local circuit, but the prior knowledge didn't prevent a string of crashes. With 13km to go, a relatively high-speed crash occurred after an overlap of wheels.

Entering the last 10km, Unibet Rose Rockets were driving the peloton, and there were yet more crashes, including one that saw several riders hit the ground with 7km to go. 

NSN then took command inside the last kilometres with a textbook leadout from Hugo Hofstetter. He propelled Girmay to victory ahead of Fretin in second and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello - Q36.5) in third.