Daniel Martinez on his goals for remainder of Giro d'Italia: "Mainly try to threaten Tadej Pogacar"

With the 2024 Giro d'Italia reaching the first rest day, no one is closer to Tadej Pogacar in the general classification than BORA - hansgrohe's Daniel Martinez. Could the Colombian pull off a great shock in the coming weeks?

"Right now the feeling is good," assesses the 28-year-old, former Tour de France stage winner in his rest day press conference as he sits 2:40 down in the general classification, second overall. "The legs are getting better every day, so let's wait and see."

Given Pogacar's domination over the first couple of weeks, it would be easy for Martinez to be looking more over his shoulder than at the Maglia Rosa. With 12 stages still to go though, he refuses to give up his hope of taking the overall win. "I don't immediately focus on a specific stage. The time trial is important, but so is the climbing stage the day after. I don't choose a specific one, but mainly try to threaten Pogacar," he says of his goals for the coming weeks. 

Martinez will have to do without the support of Florian Lipowitz however, after the in-form German climber abandoned the race ahead of stage 6 due to illness. "We lost a good climber who had to help me in this Giro," Martinez admits. "But Giovanni Aleotti, Max Schachmann and the others are in good shape and can fulfill that task as well."