Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, Martínez and birthday twins Van Dijke briefly feared the worst
CyclingMonday, 16 March 2026 at 08:22
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Follow us on GoogleRed Bull–BORA–hansgrohe was consistently present throughout the week in both Tirreno–Adriatico and Paris–Nice, but on the final day of both stage races things nearly went wrong for the team’s general classification ambitions. While Giulio Pellizzari slipped from second to third overall in Tirreno, Daniel Felipe Martínez almost saw his podium place at Paris–Nice disappear.
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The 29-year-old Colombian had manoeuvred himself into an excellent position during the early stages of the French race. After a strong team time trial from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe on day three, a chaotic crosswind stage created major gaps in the standings. Martínez was perfectly placed and suddenly found himself second overall, with roughly two and a half minutes over the rider in third place.
Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe had emptied the tank in the crosswinds on stage four. Brothers Tim and Mick van Dijke played a key role, sacrificing a possible chance at the stage victory in order to make a decisive move in the general classification. That effort ultimately helped Jonas Vingegaard take advantage and win the stage. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike would later go on to fight for the overall victory.
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Tim and Mick van Dijke gave Martínez a great position in Paris-Nice
Martínez once again relies on his teammates
Martínez had built such a large buffer that he managed to hold on to second place in the overall standings all the way to the final day. On stage five he finished with the first chasing group behind Vingegaard, and he was also solid in stage six. After stage seven was heavily disrupted by snow and barely resembled a normal race day, he only needed to survive the final stage.
Things were going smoothly for a long time — until suddenly they were not. With around 50 kilometres to go, Martínez unexpectedly crashed into the roadside verge and lay on the ground in pain for a moment. Eventually he managed to reconnect with teammates Laurence Pithie, Aleksandr Vlasov and Mick van Dijke, who happened to be celebrating his birthday that Sunday — just like his twin brother Tim. From that moment on, the trio had the difficult task of riding full gas to the finish while defending Martínez’s advantage of 2 minutes and 28 seconds.
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Martínez in serious pain after the finish
Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe once again produced a monumental team effort and, remarkably, Martínez finished only 51 seconds behind stage winner Lenny Martinez. Because the first chasing group — including his rivals for the podium — crossed the line seven seconds behind that, the Colombian ultimately stayed on the right side of the standings.
After crossing the finish line, the adrenaline wore off and Martínez briefly cried out in pain. Following a quick check and a chance to recover, the smile soon returned as he stepped onto the podium with Vingegaard and third-placed Georg Steinhauser (EF Education–EasyPost). The team’s performance underlined that their earlier tactical choice had been the right one: going all-in for the general classification during the crosswind stage, even if that meant sacrificing a potential stage win.
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Pride at Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe after two podium results
With a third place in Tirreno–Adriatico thanks to Pellizzari and a second place in Paris–Nice through Martínez, the team’s Chief of Sports could only express satisfaction in a press release from Red Bull. “We were present at the front all week, we went for ambitious plans and we really raced. That is the result of a winter of hard work from everyone to be ready for moments like this. We can be proud.”
And Martínez himself? He was mainly relieved, happy and grateful. “It was a strong week from the whole team. Everyone did an incredible job. Unfortunately I crashed on the last day. I tried to move up in the bunch, but the pace was high and I hit the ground hard on my ribs and arm. For a moment I thought I might have to abandon, but thanks to the help of my teammates I was able to finish.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - Grande artículo, pero una duda: if “you don’t have to be the strongest to win,” does that mean we’ll see more negative racing? Seems a bit defeatist, no?raceready715-09-2026
- - Pidcock managing his efforts will be key. He was too eager in Montreal; hold fire until the final lap and he’s dangerous. Also, no Pogačar = more tactical chaos. Brilliant.davidm15-09-2026
- - Can someone explain why the Worlds route is that much longer than Montreal GP but on a similar circuit? Is it just extra laps, or are there added climbs too?patriciaw15-09-2026
- - Not sure about naming Del Toro and Seixas as top favorites over MvdP and WVA. Feels a tad contrarian—class usually tells in a 270k attrition day.michael5415-09-2026
- - Love the honesty from Pidcock. Montreal GP as a dress rehearsal makes sense—those last two laps bite. If GB keeps numbers late, he’s got a real medal shout.julien15-09-2026
- No matter the results, the intervening difficulties, or even the crashes, including two within minutes of each other last month when Sepp appeared headed for a long-hoped for stage win at the Tour de France, Seth Kuss always finds a reason to be grateful, an an ability to project positivity and a smile. Chapeau to Sepp,rjb13-09-2026
- Pogi is the Road Warrior par excellence. Come back even stronger much to the chagrin of all other competitors.
Brucegel12-09-2026 - - Félicitations in advance si ça se concrétise. Line-up looks très britannique mais con ambición grande. Tour 2027 en Edimbourg sería épico si les invitan.gearguru3310-09-2026
- - Vamos Ethan! Breakaway king of this Vuelta and super combative. Today’s flat chrono is perfect terrain—just keep it clean through the Jerez crosswinds.breakawaybikerd10-09-2026
- - Bit cautious here. Hayter’s had stop-start seasons with crashes/illness and I still don’t know if he’s a GC week-long guy or a TT/sprint hybrid. Curious whether they build around him or Pidcock first.pedalpowe2910-09-2026
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