29/04/2024

Daniel Martinez leads BORA - hansgrohe's Maglia Rosa charge at Giro d'Italia with Danny van Poppel providing sprint option

Having impressed in the early stages of his BORA - hansgrohe career after having moved during the off-season from the INEOS Grenadiers, Daniel Martinez will get his chance to lead his new team at the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

With successes such as the Colombian national time-trial title, two stages of the Volta ao Algarve, plus the King of the Mountains jersey and second place overall at the Portuguese stage race, Martinez has begun his time with BORA - hansgrohe brightly. Although his Tirreno-Adriatico was a little quieter, the 28-year-old will have confidence in a potential podium challenge at the Giro d'Italia.

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Whilst Martinez is the man for the Maglia Rosa fight and will be supported by the likes of Florian Lipowitz, who starred at the Tour de Romandie last week and the two-time Paris-Nice winner Max Schachmann, BORA - hansgrohe will also bring with them a capable sprint train, led by Danny van Poppel, with Giovanni Aleotti, Patrick Gamper, Jonas Koch and Ryan Mullen completing the lineup.

"We want to achieve a top 5 in the GC with Dani. He performed very well at the start of the season and apart from the crash at Strade Bianche, his build-up to the Giro has been solid. He trained very well in Colombia, and we are optimistic that he will be in the mix for a good place in the GC," previews sports director, Enrico Gasparotto to the team's official website. "We see many sprint options this year - some are not easy with a climb in the finale. That's one of Danny's strengths. He's in good shape and with Ryan as a lead-out, we're in a very good position for these stages."