"I need to regain my confidence": Daniel Martínez leaves a strong impression at Algarve in his "comeback season"

The season start was not perfect for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe as their super-star signing Remco Evenepoel failed to deliver the widely expected victory at the UAE Tour, meanwhile 2025 Tour de France podium finisher Florian Lipowitz didn't impress at the Volta ao Algarve either. That is why Daniel Martínez's consistent performance in Portugal provided a much needed spark of hope. If not for the team as a whole, then at least for the Colombian himself, as he makes comeback from a botched 2025 campaign.

In fact, the season of Martínez ended already in early August at the Tour of Pologne. Not because of one of the many crashes on stage 3, but because of health issues that continued to plague the Colombian's season.

"Last year I was really sick; I had a bacteria in my stomach. That meant I wasn't in good shape," he explains to WielerFlits.

The fall from greats was hard on Martínez. After a second place overall at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the Colombian's best (and the only good) result of past season was a 7th place at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Not quite what the 29-year-old had been used to. "I need to regain my confidence," he stated firmly.

Ending the previous season early, the Colombian set his eyes on 2026 as a comeback season. And so far, the start looks promising. After a second place in a time trial at the Colombian Championships, the Red Bull racer confirmed a solid level at the start of this season with a 7th place overall at the Volta ao Algarve.

A good reason for optimisim for Martínez: "My feeling is good; I've changed my mindset for this year."

For now, Martínez has the Ardennes and the Tour de France on his schedule; in that Grand Tour, he'll have to play a key supporting role for GC contenders Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz. This demonstrates the team's confidence in Martínez: "They're giving me a lot of support [after last season]," he admits.