Pau Martí takes first victory with IPT Academy in Volta a Portugal

Lisbon: Pau Martí finished off an impressive performance on stage 2 of the Volta a Portugal by storming to victory in Fafe after being part of a late breakaway. This marks the 20-year-old Spaniard’s first win with the IPT Academy team.

“Taking my first win for the team feels incredible,” Martí said after the podium ceremony. “I knew I had good legs, and the team was amazing all day. I really have to thank the boys for how they rode today. In the final, I felt strong and I managed to launch my sprint exactly as I wanted to. What a day!”

Martí has been remarkably consistent during the first three days of racing in Portugal. After placing seventh in Wednesday’s prologue, he finished ninth yesterday – after setting up teammate Brady Gilmore for the sprint – before storming to victory today.

IPT Academy sports director, Ruben Plaza, praised the team for executing the plan to perfection and Martí for how he handled himself in the final.

“This was a great day for us. Pau is a super smart rider, and he really knows how to handle himself in these kinds of situations. When you have a rider like him, it’s quite easy to get good results.

“The plan for today was to arrive at the gravel sector in a good position and then be ready to follow the moves – and we did just that. The boys were great! Daniel [Lima] and Pau did well to be in the first group, and even though we were unlucky to lose Daniel from the front group, as he had to brake to avoid a rider in front of him, Pau was still able to win the stage and take the jersey.”

With the bonus seconds gained from today’s victory, Martí is the new race leader of the Volta a Portugal. He holds a two-second lead heading into tomorrow’s stage 3 to Bragança, which features no fewer than four categorized climbs.

“We still have a long race ahead of us, so I just want to enjoy the moment for now, and then we’ll see how long we can keep the jersey. The team is really strong, and we’re motivated to keep going like this,” Martí said.