Paul Martens arrived at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco with great uncertainty after a becent bout of illness but the German proved himself ready for the Ardennes when he survived the tough climbing in today's surprisingly hard second stage before sprinting to fifth. The German will target more success in the coming sprint stages while also working for Robert Gesink's overall ambitions.

Paul Martens seems to be on the right track. The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM rider finished fifth in today’s stage two of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, a 153-kilometre ride from Ordizia to Dantxarinea. Martens placed fourth in the sprint of the peloton, which fought for the second place after a solo win by Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep). 

Martens got ill last week after riding the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and wasn’t completely fit yet when he flew to Spain's Basque Country this weekend. 

“So I’m satisfied with this result,” said the German. “It gives me confidence that I can record such a result while being uncertain about my shape. I really didn’t know what to expect after last week. Today, was a chance for me and it’s nice to be in the position I was.” 

Martens had to dig deep in the final kilometre.

“I had nothing left in the last 300 metres. The course was a lot more difficult than on paper. I was pushed to my limits several times. I hope to further improve the coming days and to contribute to a good overall with Robert Gesink. That is still our main goal.” 

Sports Director Erik Dekker saw Gesink reach the finish safe and sound in a first group of approximately fifty riders and was satisfied with that.

“Today was just never really flat. Around 150 riders were dropped. That says something about the course. In the final, the roads were very narrow, but our men sat in the front, where they needed to be and stayed out of trouble.” 

Dekker expects that tomorrow’s stage to Vitoria-Gasteiz will end with a sprint.

“Tomorrow, after around 40 kilometres, we will climb to a plateau and after that the roads are going to be flat for a long time. The plateau is known for its winds. It seems that the weather will be light, but we’re going to check that.”