Daniel Felipe Martínez stayed this Saturday with the Tour of the Basque Country and obtained his second victory in a World Tour race. The 25-year-old soachuno showed all his gallantry in a final stage that was more eventful than expected.
Although it was thought that the Belgian Remco Evenepoel could take the championship from him, Martínez showed all his gallantry and kept the yellow jersey. Those who know him were not surprised by his victory because, just like this Saturday, the Colombian cyclist has fought throughout his life.
winner’s blood
Daniel was born in Soacha on April 25, 1996 and what he wanted was to be a cyclist.
He was a very good student I was always at the top of the course, but I wanted to ride a bike, to be a champion.
His brother Jeison was key for him to get into cycling. He was the one who lent him the bike to ride. It was a monareta, and that’s where it all started.
Soccer was his first love. He is a fan of Atlético Nacional, he was a striker, he warns that he was the terror of the rival goalkeepers. “I liked to score goals and I did them. I still watch matches, I like it, I have a passion for football”he told EL TIEMPO.
He worked as an assistant in a store in Soacha; he earned his pesos and, at the same time, he had the option of watching the Nacional matches.
He measures 1.74 meters, weighs 63 kilos. At 23 years old, she already has two participations in the Giro d’Italia. He was 89 in 2016 and a year later he retired. When Rigoberto Urán dropped out of last year’s Tour de France, Daniel took over the reins of the team and finished 36th.
He was always good at the clock. He already has three metals in the Nationals, the last of them, gold, which he achieved this Thursday in Tunja.
One of his most important results was the mountain title in the Ruta del Sur in 2015, a test won by Alberto Contador, his idol, and in which Nairo Quintana was second. Those were the times of the extinct Team Colombia.
Egan defeated him in the 2016 Giro del Trentino youth classification; there, Martínez was part of the Wilier Triestina team. The following year, when he was already in the Cannondale, today Education First, Daniel Felipe was the best young man in the Tour of Turkey.
In the 2019 Paris-Nice, which Egan won, Martínez won the queen stage, his first World Tour victory. And in 2018 he was third in the Tour of California.
“He is one of the runners that we bet on in the team. He is another leader. He is young, he must learn more, but for sure he will be a great champion”, said Juan Manuel Garate, coach of the EF.
Daniel won gold again in the time trial, his specialty, in which he performs.
Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of THE TIME
On Twitter: @lisandroabel
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