Colombian champion Daniel Martinez forced to miss Olympic Games time-trial... Because of passport issues

The Olympic Games time-trial event will take place this Saturday with the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna and Joshua Tarling fighting for the gold medal. Among the quality startlist racing in Paris will be a lot of quality riders but not Colombia's representative. Daniel Martínez has not managed to make the trip to France yet because of passport problems.

This has happened, according to Colombian news outlet Antena 2, because Martínez as applied in the Canadian embassy for the Canadian classics that take place in September. Unfortunately, as happens in other non-European nations, visas are a very important part of the ability of the riders to race all year long. Martínez was unable to retrieve his passport in time to make the trip to Paris over the ongoing situation.

Interestingly, Martínez' presence in the GP de Québec and Montréal is anything but assured. After finishing second in the Giro d'Italia, his initial plan to also race the Tour de France was ruled out and most likely so that he could focus on the Vuelta a España. The Vuelta finishes on the 8th of September in Madrid and the Canadian classics take place five and seven days later respectively.

The news come as a hit for the South American nation that will hence not be represented in the event. Martínez is the reigning national champion against the clock and has put in strong performances this year in the discipline, making him a viable candidate for the Top10. However, at the time being, he is expected to make the trip in time for the road race.