Accepting Pogacar's dominance? Van Poppel and BORA believe that Martínez can win the Giro with Roglic-like cunning

At BORA-hansgrohe, they are quietly making strides in the Giro d'Italia, and that suits them just fine. With Daniel Felipe Martínez, the German team has cunningly positioned itself in second place in the general classification, making him a contender for the stage battles leading to Rome. Yet, within BORA, there's a whisper of hope for even greater achievements...

The first week passed relatively smoothly for BORA-hansgrohe, except for the setback of losing talent Florian Lipowitz. The German rider, who had previously impressed in the Tour de Romandie, fell ill after five days. "Losing him was a blow because he was expected to support Martínez in the high mountains," team leader Enrico Gasparotto shared with IDLProCycling.com on Monday. Despite this setback, Martínez still has solid support in Maximilian Schachmann, Giovanni Aleotti, and Jonas Koch for the mountain stages, although Schachmann did suffer a fall on stage nine, resulting in some elbow pain.

As the second week unfolds, Gasparotto hopes Martínez will hold his ground in Tuesday's mountain stage before the team shifts focus to success opportunities with sprinter Danny van Poppel and chances in transition stages. Van Poppel appears prepared after a challenging first week. "We only had one genuine sprint chance, and unfortunately, the breakaway succeeded on that stage. It was a bit surprising; you don't always get seven sprint opportunities as planned. Adapting to being a sprint leader was also a challenge due to the abundance of sprinters. Fifteen sprinters vying for one wheel, along with the classification teams... it's complicated. So, I just threw myself into the mix on day nine for the first time. It felt good, though, so I'll have to navigate through those trickier days in the weeks ahead."

Read more below the photo.

Daniel Felipe Martínez, the surprise of this Giro?

Returning to Martínez, undoubtedly the focal point at BORA-hansgrohe for the remainder of the Giro. Predetermined as the leader, the 28-year-old Colombian appears to be in top form. "Everything leading up to the mountain stages will hinge on your remaining energy. The third week is particularly grueling, and as we've seen with Geraint Thomas, he tends to peak then. Let's see how things unfold. In my past grand tours, I've often struggled in the first week, but it's different now. I feel strong and am genuinely pleased to be here," the typically reserved BORA leader remarked during his press conference on Monday.

Now, let's turn to Van Poppel to shed some light on who exactly Martínez is. Having joined from INEOS Grenadiers last winter, according to the Dutch sprinter, Martínez is "sometimes a bit reserved." "He's quiet but incredibly professional. I admire how committed he is. If he needs assistance, he's not hesitant to ask for it. That's crucial for me—to be able to support him. I've ridden Paris-Nice with Primoz Roglic, and Daniel is perhaps a bit more grounded. However, they both possess that astuteness in reading the race. Some climbers may be physically strongest, but lack the tactical acumen and never clinch victory. Daniel and Primoz have that ability; they know how to win races. Martínez's performance against Evenepoel in the Algarve was incredibly impressive."

While settling for a podium finish or a top-five placement might suffice for some, BORA isn't content with that. We're all waiting for a vulnerability from Pogacar. Thus far, there hasn't been one, but anything can happen in a grand tour. Martínez acknowledges this reality. "Everyone says Pogi has already sealed the win, but in the Tour de France, he had a very rough day, losing minutes. If you don't believe in that possibility now, you lack the competitive drive. Winning the pink jersey is undoubtedly a goal, but we must also acknowledge it will be challenging. We have to hope for a bad day from him or perhaps his team faltering. UAE led the pack throughout the first week, which worked in our favor. You never know; I genuinely believe Daniel can win. We all recall how he outperformed Egan Bernal in the third week of 2021—he's only getting stronger. We're optimistic, although second or third place would still be a satisfying result for us as a team."

Read more below the photo.

BORA-hansgrohe is in service of Martínez

"It surprises me that he is now second? No, absolutely not," Gasparotto also stated. "I was team leader during the Tour of Algarve and in Tirreno-Adriatico, so I knew what he was capable of. Second is currently the best we could achieve so far because there's little to be done against this Tadej Pogacar. His time trial performance didn't surprise me either, as he is the Colombian time trial champion. We're happy with where we stand. Our dream was, of course, to be a bit closer to him in the standings, but it is what it is. Rome is still far, and there are still two long weeks ahead."

Moreover, Schachmann is willing to sacrifice his own chances in a free role if it can help Martínez to attack Pogacar. The German, who finished third on day one, hopes his elbow recovers quickly and then he is curious to see what he can still do. 'Last week we saw that I go for stage wins via a breakaway, but that depends on who is in the breakaway, but also on the peloton. As escapees, we didn't get much leeway thanks to UAE Emirates' control, which was in effect almost every day. We'll also see what happens in the standings, and if we have to be ready for Martínez, then I won't have many chances.'

"We'll see what role I can play in the high mountains because I'm not sure about that yet," Schachmann remains modest. "In consultation with the team management, we'll assess day by day how the race unfolds and how I feel. UAE has appeared very strong so far, but I think they've invested a lot in their climbing train. INEOS Grenadiers also seems strong, but they're riding passively for now. It remains to be seen if that's their strategy or if they just can't do better. It will be difficult to attack Pogacar, even if we form alliances with other teams. He's such a versatile rider and hasn't had any weak moments yet. With alliances, you can't slow him down and make us speed up, but of course, the Giro still has two weeks to go. Anything can still change, and he has had some rough patches in his career. If we sense he's having one of those moments, we'll go for it, and INEOS will probably do the same."