The x-ray of the ‘new’ Daniel Felipe Martínez, the brand new runner-up of the Giro d’Italia

Daniel Felipe Martínez (Bora) He became the sixth Colombian cyclist to finish on the podium of the Italy spin, after his second place in the 2024 edition that ended on Sunday in Rome after a 125 km stage, in which Tadej Pogacar was crowned champion.

He won the Return to the Basque Country and finished third in the Paris-Nice of 2022, but he was missing ‘graduation’ in a three-week race. He was fifth in the Giro which helped his compatriot win, Egan Bernal, but more was always expected of him.

Your technicians

TIME He consulted the technicians who directed him in Europe and to his surroundings, who told ‘secrets’ of his evolution, which led him to the Giro subtitle and to be excited about many and better results.

After passing through UCI WCC Men’s Team In 2014, the corridor de Soacha, Cundinamarca signed with him Team Colombia, which he was in in 2015.

“He arrived in Italy and was 18 years old. She has changed a lot. He had to know world cycling and progress in all areas. He really wanted to reach the top. Having raced in the EF, in the Ineos and the victory in the Dauphiné helped him mature. The change of team has been key for him, because you can see that he has a different enthusiasm, because he changed his thinking and the idea of ​​returning to being the runner he was, so that his performance would have gone up,” he said. Claudio Cortei, who was the manager of that team.

Then, he went to Wilier Triestina Italian, where he was from 2016 to 2017, two years in which he polished his way of running and handling crises.

“He needed to be the reference. At Ineos he always worked for Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas and he needed to leave there to assume the role of main runner. He did that in the Giro and met expectations,” he said. Serge Parsani, who drove it in the Wilier.

And he added: “He lacked the confidence of the team, of his technicians to assume the role of fighting for a general classification, because Daniel is a cyclist capable of that, of fighting for the title of a race, how he has done it and achieved it.”

Daniel Martínez signed with the Education First, today Education Easy-Postin which he was guided, among others, by the Spanish Juan Manuel Garate, squad with which he won the Dauphiné and obtained a stage in the 2020 Tour de France.

“What he has done in the Giro is confirm what he needed, that confidence of knowing that he can be ahead in the fight for a big one. He will help him a lot, he has matured a lot, the years are in his favor, as a person and as a runner,” said Gárate.

“He didn’t take long to get into his best shape, because he’s been doing it well for years. 2023 was not the best due to illnesses, but it is a bump that any cyclist has and that does not obscure his progression,” the coach stated.

Your environment speaks

Daniel Martínez has a personal ‘work group’, an environment that helps him be better every day and there is also an important key.

“We have a group and we talk about spiritual, emotional things, about what happens in life. Debates are held on various topics to find out the points of view. He brings up a topic and we discuss it. He is a great student of the mysteries of life. He likes to know about the laws of cause and effect, “That takes him out of wherever he is and he has managed to understand that everything is a process,” he commented. Ilse Cardenaswho guides him on that topic.

“All of this links him to his profession because it gives him security, stability, it gives him confidence. He is not the prayer. He is a person who studies the books of mysticism. He knows that if he makes a mistake about something, he assumes responsibility and does not blame anyone. That gives prudence. He will never say who is to blame for what happens. He doesn’t complain about anything,” commented Cárdenas.

In his statements during the Giro, Martínez always stressed that everything he does is for his family and when his wife, parents and children arrived in Italy the Saturday before, his spirits lifted.

“It has been a different process, it has gone from less to more. These years have taught him to know her body, to run smarter. At Bora they gave him confidence and every option to be the boss, to be the reference. He is calm, he likes to go easy. Things have changed in his schedule, they have listened to him more and they have guided him in the best way, hence the results,” he said. Melisa Valencia, his wife.

“He does everything for his children. He is a very family-oriented man, very focused on cycling and his surroundings. With the children it is wonderful, they are his great motivation,” accurate.

Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@lisandroabel