Biniam Girmay intends to ride the second half of the Giro d'Italia the same way he did the first half. He will chase stage victories, chase points for the Ciclamino jersey, pass over criticism from his rivals, and insist that he is not another version of Mathieu van der Pol or Wout van Aert, but himself.

"I am the new Binium, not the new Van der Paul or the new Van Aert. I am myself," Gil May said in a video on Monday's rest day, his natural happiness and sprinter's ambition both shining through in his every word. 'It's an honor to be compared to them. We have a lot of similarities, but we also have differences. They can do time trials better than me, and Van Aat can climb better than me. I've only been a pro for three years. When I was a junior I looked up to them and watched them, but now I race with them and try to fight with them to win.

Gilmey has been in the spotlight since winning Gent-Wevelgem in the spring and has only started racing at the World Tour level since Intermarché Wanty-Gobert acquired him from Delco last summer, but he is a quick learner.

He learned how to outrun his Classics rivals in Wevelgem and is rapidly learning how to compete in sprints at the Giro d'Italia. He used the same tact to avoid a controversy with Van der Pol, who missed out on victory in Naples on Saturday.

Van der Poel ran free to Thomas de Gendt's breakaway group and appeared to be ordered to sit on the Dutchman's wheel in hopes of winning on the Naples waterfront.

Van der Pol refused to tow Girmay to the line and posted a smirking emoji on the Wielerfritz website under an article quoting Girmay: "Everyone was looking at Mathieu and me."

Gilmey was asked about the tweet on Tuesday, but deftly avoided polemics as he avoided his sprint rivals with the finish line in sight.

"I didn't see his reaction and we didn't talk during the stage on Sunday because he was in front and I was behind. But it's cycling, it happens," Gil May said a bit defiantly.

"I did my best on the stage. I just tried to catch up to the group, I didn't try to play games or help him. On Saturday it was all about legs, movement during the race, and controlling the attack, and I didn't have the legs to close the gap to De Gendt."

The Intermarque Wanty-Gobert rider finished second behind Van der Pol in Visegrad, fourth behind Mark Cavendish in Balatonfüred, fifth in Messina, and fifth in Naples on Saturday. A stage win is still up for grabs, but it remains Gil May's first goal.

"Winning one stage is enough. My first goal is to finish the Giro, and my second goal is to win a stage," he insisted.

"Of course, I'm a cyclist, so if I win one stage, I want the next one, but if I win one stage, I'm happy."

Eritrea is elated by Gilmey's success, and the African country celebrates its independence day on May 24. That date is the day of the mountainous Aprica on stage 16, but Girmay hopes to celebrate before then.

"We have a lot of chances next week. We can't win on Independence Day, but Melhawi Kudus or Natnael Tesfatzion might win that day. I'd like to win before that day."

"We've had five top fives so far. That's good. But you need legs to win. Sometimes I'm lucky, sometimes not. Hopefully it will go my way soon."

Gil May has been chasing sprint wins and intermediate sprint points. The cyclamen-colored jersey looks like a battle between the Eritrean and Frenchman Arnaud Demaret (Groupama-FDJ).

Demaret will wear the jersey on Tuesday's 196-km stage from the Adriatic coast up the hills of the Marche. Gil May is hoping to get in on the action while some of the pure sprinters could be dropped.

"We went into the break on Saturday and survived the climb to take the points.

"I'm only halfway through the Giro and I'm starting to feel some pain in my legs. My main goal is still to win a stage, and hopefully the Ciclamino jersey. I'm still fighting to win, that's my main goal."