The worst-kept secret in pro cycling is out. Biniam Girmay has signed a three-year contract with NSN Cycling Team and is stepping into a role the team clearly views as central to its future.
At 25, the Eritrean standout already carries the résumé of a veteran—Tour de France green jersey, Giro stage winner, classics breakthrough—but he arrives at NSN focused less on what he’s done than what’s still ahead.
General manager Kjell Carlström framed Girmay’s arrival as a shared reset point. While he praised Girmay’s talent, he lingered on the traits that matter inside a team bus as much as on the road: “his humility” and the sense that he instantly aligned with NSN’s vision. For Carlström, bringing in a rider of Girmay’s stature marks a decisive push toward bolder results and a more confident identity.
New year…new team?
The signing is just part of a much bigger reset–the team recently rebranded from Israel – Premier Tech to N2N following a roller-coaster summer, fraught with protests, pressure from sponsors and organizers. Premier Tech abruptly pulled out, but the team somehow managed to find a title sponsor so it could continue. It will also no longer be registered in Israel–rather, the soon-to-be WorldTour team will call Switzerland its home.
It’s (finally) official: Israel-Premier Tech is now NSN Cycling
Girmay said that environment and direction were decisive factors. He spoke of wanting “a new atmosphere and a new beginning,” and he noted that NSN’s progression over the past two seasons stood out from afar. What impressed him most was the cohesion of the team’s sprint train—how they held formation, backed one another, and communicated under pressure. He said he’d heard their voices during races and came away convinced it was a group he wanted to join.
A focus on the Classics
Though his palmarès is already deep, Girmay brushed it aside with characteristic forward focus. He said he rarely looks backward, preferring instead to ask, What’s the next step? Classics victories remain high on his list—Gent–Wevelgem is his lone major one-day win so far—and he believes that with NSN, “one day we can win one of the biggest races in cycling together.”
His signing also folds into NSN’s broader Racing for Change initiative. The team’s Field of Dreams project in Rwanda has become a cornerstone of its identity, and Girmay’s presence naturally raises the question of how the effort might extend into…
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