Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) set out from Alpago on Saturday morning nurturing vague notions of trying to win the penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia, but he quickly put the idea out of his head when maglia rosa Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) accelerated a shade under 6km from the summit of Monte Grappa.
Not for the first time on this Giro, Pogačar was in a division entirely of his own. Martínez immediately focused his attention on competing against the men in his own weight class for the right to accompany Pogačar on the podium in Rome on Sunday.
“I started with the mindset of trying to win the stage, but Pogačar was incredible,” Martínez said when he rolled to a halt on Bassano del Grappa’s Viale delle Fosse. “He is in spectacular condition, and the moment he attacked, nobody could follow.”
Martínez was already second overall before the day began, albeit with just a 22-second lead over his old Ineos Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas. When the Welshman lost ground on the upper reaches of Monte Grappa, Martínez sensed an opportunity to secure a firmer grasp on the second step of the podium. He found an ally of circumstance in the shape of Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), who was riding to secure the white jersey of best young rider.
“I saw Thomas let the wheels go and so when Tiberi attacked, I went with him. We collaborated because we were both interested in gaining time,” said Martínez.
“I was trying to put more time into Thomas, but I couldn’t manage it. We gave everything, but on the descent he caught us with a group.”
At that point, on the long drop into Bassano del Grappa, a détente of sorts broke out in the chasing group behind Pogačar, where all seemed content to hold on to what they had. They came in 2:07 down on the stage, with Martínez sprinting to third place on the stage.
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The Colombian will thus ride into Rome on Sunday in second place overall, some 9:56 behind a Pogačar who has been utterly without rival since the moment this race left Turin.
For Martínez, second place offers a confirmation of the Grand Tour promise he had shown by winning the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2020 and which he had hinted at throughout his time at Ineos. Three years ago, for instance, Martínez took fifth overall at the Giro, even though his principal role at the race was to shepherd his compatriot Egan Bernal to victory.
On that occasion, Martínez memorably steadied the ship for Bernal at Sega di Ala and again at Alpe Motta. When given his own shot at leadership, however, Martínez had tended to flounder. He started the 2022 notionally with a free role, for instance, but he quickly fell out of the GC battle and into domestique duties for Thomas.
Martínez swapped Ineos for Bora-Hansgrohe in the winter with an eye to exploring his own potential as a Grand Tour leader, though he must have had his doubts when the German squad later signed Primož Roglič. Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov are building their seasons around working for Roglič at the Tour, but Martínez – who may yet feature as a deluxe domestique in July – was granted the freedom to lead at the Giro.
Martínez suffered some mishaps on this Giro, including on the first summit finish at Oropa, when he limited his losses despite jammed gears. The only obvious setback came in the Desenzano del Garda time trial, where he briefly conceded second place to Thomas, but he seized it back on the steep summit finish at Monte Pana on stage 16.
“There were a lot of tough moments, there are always lots of tough moments, but I think I disguised them well,” Martínez said.
The 28-year-old’s success in weeklong stage races has long been contrasted with his tendency to suffer ruinous off days in the Grand Tours. Martínez’s success in staying the course here, albeit almost ten minutes down on Pogačar, was proof that three-week racing is indeed within his range.
“I’ve worked very hard for this. Sometimes things have gone well, sometimes they’ve not gone the way we wanted them to, but that’s what life is about, to keep going, to persevere,” said Martínez.
“There are riders like Nairo [Quintana], who are always there from the start in the top 10 in three-week races. I’m going at my own rhythm, but I’m getting there.”
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