"A highlight of my career so far" - Daniel Martinez secures first Grand Tour podium with 2nd at 2024 Giro d'Italia

For the first time in his career, Daniel Martinez gets to finish a Grand Tour on the final podium. The Colombian of BORA - hansgrohe finished best of the rest behind Tadej Pogacar at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, nearly ten minutes down in second place.

“Securing my first podium finish in a Grand Tour is definitely a highlight of my career so far. As a child, I dreamed of standing on the podium of a race like this, so achieving this feels truly special," a delighted Martinez reflected post-stage 21 in a press release by the BORA - hansgrohe team. "The Giro presents challenges every day, and I didn’t take anything for granted until I crossed the finish line in Rome. So, despite the consistent performances over the past three weeks, I stayed focused until the end. Being in a podium position in the GC for so long and knowing we were a target for our competitors only fueled my motivation further. I want to thank my teammates and the staff who’ve been here for the journey over the past three weeks. The team's effort and dedication made this result possible.”

Martinez' previous best Grand Tour result also came at the Giro d'Italia with a 5th placed overall finish back in 2021. Now, in the 10th Grand Tour of his career, Martinez has finally secured one of his goals. Next step is to be standing on the top step of a Grand Tour in future.

“We’re really pleased to have taken second in GC ahead of a strong field. Dani was only bested by Tadej Pogacar who dominated the race. Dani was more than solid in the mountains, and we’re very happy with the strong performance that he delivered this Giro," reflected BORA - hansgrohe DS Enrico Gasparotto. "We can say that not everything went smoothly between the start of our Giro project back in November and crossing the finish line in Rome. However, thanks to the commitment of all the riders, Dani’s good form and the hard work from everybody here in Italy, we were able to make this result happen. Together with Bernie Eisel, I’m very happy about the mentality that was present in the team over the past three weeks, and the commitment that was shown by our riders. We’re very happy for Dani that he had the chance to do his own race and take his first podium finish in a Grand Tour, chapeau.”

“This 2nd place is exceptional for us. Apart from our Giro victory two years ago, this is the first time we have brought home a Grand Tour podium. It's also a career highlight for Dani himself - it's great that he has managed to achieve this immediately after joining us," adds Ralph Denk, Team Manager at BORA – hansgrohe. "A success like this can only be achieved as a team. I would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard over the last few weeks. And these thanks also go to our two naming partners BORA and hansgrohe. This Grand Tour podium is one of our many joint highlights.”