Daniel Felipe Martinez finishes the 2024 Giro d'Italia in an outstanding second place. It is the first Grand Tour podium of his career. It is only the second Grand Tour podium in the team history of BORA – hansgrohe after Jai Hindley's victory at the Giro d'Italia in 2022.
BORA – hansgrohe was on the GC podium after each of the 21 stages of the 2024 Giro d'Italia. Maximilian Schachmann set the tone right at the start in Turin. Just one day later, Dani Martínez replaced him on the podium thanks to a tremendous team performance on the Oropa climb – and held on to the podium consistently until the finish line in Rome.
The 28-year-old Colombian used the time trial to Perugia to climb to second place on day 7. After a week, he swapped places again with Geraint Thomas. But this was just a snapshot. On the queen stage two stages later, Martínez convincingly reclaimed his second place. Yesterday's showdown on Monte Grappa also made it clear that he is rightly in this position: Daniel Felipe Martínez is the second strongest rider of the 2024 Giro d'Italia.
Dani Martínez
“Securing my first podium finish in a Grand Tour is definitely a highlight of my career so far. As a child, I dreamed of standing on the podium of a race like this, so achieving this feels truly special. The Giro presents challenges every day, and I didn’t take anything for granted until I crossed the finish line in Rome. So, despite the consistent performances over the past three weeks, I stayed focused until the end. Being in a podium position in the GC for so long and knowing we were a target for our competitors only fueled my motivation further. I want to thank my teammates and the staff who’ve been here for the journey over the past three weeks. The team's effort and dedication made this result possible.”
Enrico Gasparotto has just completed his third Giro d'Italia as Sports Director of BORA – hansgrohe. His track record speaks for itself: 1st place, 2nd place, 9th place and four stage wins.
“We’re really pleased to have taken second in GC ahead of a strong field. Dani was only bested by Pogačar who dominated the race. Dani was more than solid in the mountains, and we’re very happy with the strong performance that he delivered this Giro. We can say that not everything went smoothly between the start of our Giro project back in November and crossing the finish line in Rome. However, thanks to the commitment of all the riders, Dani’s good form and the hard work from everybody here in Italy, we were able to make this result happen. Together with Bernie Eisel, I’m very happy about the mentality that was present in the team over the past three weeks, and the commitment that was shown by our riders. We’re very happy for Dani that he had the chance to do his own race and take his first podium finish in a Grand Tour, chapeau.”
BORA – hansgrohe: success story on the Giro podium
In 2017, the Giro d'Italia was the first Grand Tour that the team competed under the name BORA – hansgrohe. And on the very first Grand Tour race day, the team pulled off a coup: a stage win, and the maglia rosa. Seven years later, the Giro d'Italia is the final Grand Tour under the team’s name BORA – hansgrohe, before the next milestone in the team's history awaits at the Tour de France. Dani Martínez's success closes the circle exactly where it began: on the podium of the Giro d'Italia.
Ralph Denk, Team Manager BORA – hansgrohe
“This 2nd place is exceptional for us. Apart from our Giro victory two years ago, this is the first time we have brought home a Grand Tour podium. It's also a career highlight for Dani himself - it's great that he has managed to achieve this immediately after joining us. A success like this can only be achieved as a team. I would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard over the last few weeks. And these thanks also go to our two naming partners BORA and hansgrohe. This Grand Tour podium is one of our many joint highlights.”