Paul Martens (born 26 October 1983) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2021.

Career

Amateur years

Martens started racing junior level events in 2000 showing no particular specialization finishing in the middle of the pack in the Niedersachsen Juniors and Cottbuser Juniors races. In 2001 he started to show some form finishing 3rd in Stage 1 of LVM Saarland Trofeo beating the chasing peloton by 2 seconds. Later in the year he finished 10th overall at the Münsterland Tour Juniors a race he would win the senior version of later in his career. In 2002 he rode the

Istrian Spring Trophy Istrian Spring Trophy ( hr, Istarsko proljeće) is a stage road bicycle race held annually in the Croatian part of the Istria peninsula. The race was first organized in 1961 as a small competition reserved to local cyclists. In 2000, it was opened ...

finishing 56th overall with his best result coming in the stage 3 sprint where he finished 16th. In late May 2002 he rode the Under-23

Tour de Berlin The Tour de Berlin was a road bicycle race held annually between 1953 and 2016 in Germany. From 2007 to its demise, the race was organised as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing com ...

where he finished 13th overall but was the first rider born in 183 or later so he won the Youth classification. 2003 started with winning the Rund um Sebnitz in Germany. The only other notable event in 2003 was a podium placing on Stage 1 of the under-23 tour de Berlin. 2004 saw Martens get second at the

German National Time Trial Championships The German National Time Trial Championships have been held since 1994. Men U23 Women See also *German National Road Race Championships *National road cycling championships References {{National Road Race Championships National road ...

in the Under-23 competition. Later in the season he completed in the Under-23 European and World time trial championships he finished 13th in both events. Martens signed for amateur team KED Bianchi Team Berlin for the 2005 season, this gave him a calendar with more UCI races over the year. He started the year with a win at the national event; Harzrundfahrt. Followed by 5th in the Stage 1 sprint of Circuit des Ardennes. Then a win at the Under-23

. For the later part of the 2005 season he was a stagiaire at

UCI ProTeam UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

Skil – Shimano (2006 to 2007)

2006

In November 2005 announced they had signed Martens to their team on a two-year contract. Martens Pro career began in Qatar with the International Grand Prix Doha where he finished in 126th position the second to last finisher nearly 4' 30" down on the winner. It was then onto a few stage races where he played the domestique role. The next races on his calendar were the

Cobbled classics The cobbled classics are four cycling classics held in March and April. Cobblestones, like mountainous terrain, are important elements in courses of cycling. Many classic cycle races in northwestern Europe contain cobbled sections. The two Monume ...

leading into the

Ardennes classics The Ardennes classics are three cycling classics held in mid-April in the Belgian Ardennes and southern Limburg in the Netherlands: Liège–Bastogne–Liège, La Flèche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race. First held in 1892, 1936 and 1966 respectiv ...

. Martens rode his only ever

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

where he didn't finish and his only

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the ' Monuments' or classics of th ...

where he came 99th almost 20 minuted down. The first show of form was at the

Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

where he finished top-10 in two stages followed by a top 10 in Stage 4 of

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a s ...

later in the month. The

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), th ...

brought Martens first professional win, winning Stage 3 ahead of eventual overall winner

Christian Vande Velde Christian Vande Velde (born May 22, 1976) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist of Belgian descent, who rode professionally between 1998 and 2013. Vande Velde competed for the , , and squads. He has been a cycling analyst for ...

. Martens second professional win came at the

Münsterland Giro The Münsterland Giro is a cycling race annually held in Münsterland, Germany. It was first held in 2006 as a 1.2 race of the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a 1.1 race in 2007 and a 1.HC race in 2015. The race became part of the new UCI ProSeries ...

where he took the early break away and held the peloton off finishing two seconds ahead of them on line.

2007

Martens started 2007 at the

Vuelta a Andalucía The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI ...

where he finished 6th in the bunch sprint of stage 2 and ended 21st overall after the 5 stages. It was then to Belgium for the Cobbled Classics where he didn't finish

Nokere Koerse Nokere Koerse is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Starting in 2016 it was a 1.HC event. The Nokere Koerse was cr ...

or Omloop Het Volk but came third in the

Grand Prix Rudy Dhaenens Grand Prix Rudy Dhaenens was a professional road bicycle race held annually in Nevele (Belgium) to honor the former World Racing Champion Rudy Dhaenens. In 2005 the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circ ...

. The first top-10 result in a stage race came at the final edition of

where Martens finished 4th in Stage 3 and then 2nd in Stage 4 to finish 5th overall 16 seconds down on the winner. In June 2007 the

was held with Martens finishing in the top-10 in 3 stages and only losing 17 seconds in the prologue. This led to him finishing 4th overall 25 seconds down on the winner. Stage 3 of the

Ster Elektrotoer The ZLM Tour is a cycling race held over five stages, held in the southern Netherlands and Belgium as a 2.Pro race on the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road cycling tour. It was inaugurated in 2020. The serie ...

was won by Martens from a reduced bunch sprint after a hilly battle. This put himself into the leaders jersey only to lose the lead the next day and finish second overall. In August he raced the

Rund um die Hainleite The Rund um die Hainleite is a classic cycling race in and around the German city of Erfurt, Germany. Since 2005, it has been part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is th ...

where he came third in another reduced bunch sprint. His last major result came at the

Eneco Tour The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the orig ...

where he finished 9th overall. On 24 October 2007 Martens announced he would ride for

from 2008 on a two-year contract, saying his three professional wins in two years at Skil Shimano were impressive.

Rabobank (2008 to 2021)

He competed in the 2015 Tour de France. In February 2020, Martens announced that he would retire from cycling at the end of the season; however, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Martens intended to prolong his career until the middle of the 2021 season. He retired following the

2021 Giro d'Italia The 2021 Giro d'Italia was the 104th edition of the Giro, a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race. It started on 8 May and finished on 30 May. On 26 May 2019, the race organisers RCS Sport originally announced that the start of the 2021 Gi ...

, where he finished 99th.

Major results

Sources: ;2001 : 1st Madison (with Florian Piper), National Junior Road Championships : 10th Overall Münsterland Tour Juniors ;2002 : 1st Youth classification Tour de Berlin U23 ;2003 : 1st Rund um Sebnitz ;2004 : 2nd

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Under-23 Road Championships ;2005 : 1st

, National Under-23 Road Championships : 1st Harzrundfahrt ;2006 : 1st

: 1st Stage 2

;2007 : 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 2 : 3rd

: 3rd

: 4th Overall

: 5th Overall

: 9th Overall

;2008 : 6th Overall

: 6th Overall

Regio-Tour The Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Famous riders like Laurent Brochard, Jan Ullrich ...

: 8th Overall

Sachsen Tour The Sachsen Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in the region of Saxony, Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicy ...

: 10th

Coppa Sabatini The Coppa Sabatini is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Province of Pisa, Italy. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing R ...

;2009 : 3rd GP Ouest–France : 5th Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop : 6th

Giro del Piemonte The Giro del Piemonte, since 2009 known also as Gran Piemonte, is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Eu ...

: 8th Overall

;2010 : 1st

Grand Prix de Wallonie The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, ...

: 4th

Brabantse Pijl The Brabantse Pijl ( en, Brabant Arrow, french: italic=yes, Flèche Brabançonne or ''Flèche Branconne'') is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race held annually in Flemish Brabant and in Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been or ...

: 4th

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

: 4th

Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli The Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli (also known as GP Beghelli) is a late season men's road bicycle race held annually in Monteveglio, near the city of Bologna, Italy. From 2005 to 2013, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe T ...

: 6th

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Grote Prijs Jef Scherens is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after the seven-time professional sprint world c ...

: 8th

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 ki ...

;2011 : 10th

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classic ...

: 10th

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

;2012 : 1st Stage 4

Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In 2019, a multi-day ...

;2013 : 1st Overall

: 1st Stage 1

Volta ao Algarve The Volta ao Algarve (Portuguese; en, Tour of the Algarve) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2017, it has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became part of the new UCI ...

: 3rd

Volta Limburg Classic Volta Limburg Classic is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in late March or early April in Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, Netherlands. Since 2005, the race is organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. P ...

: 5th Overall Arctic Race of Norway : 9th Overall

Tour de Wallonie The Tour de Wallonie is a stage race cycling race on the UCI Europe Tour. It runs in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northw ...

;2014 : 1st Stage 5

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Bet ...

: 2nd Ronde van Limburg : 4th Overall

Ster ZLM Toer The ZLM Tour is a cycling race held over five stages, held in the southern Netherlands and Belgium as a 2.Pro race on the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road cycling tour. It was inaugurated in 2020. The serie ...

;2015 : 10th Overall

Tour du Poitou-Charentes Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a road bicycle race held annually in the former region of Poitou-Charentes (now Nouvelle-Aquitaine) France. It was first held in 1987 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

;2017 : 5th

: 10th

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race also known as Great Ocean Road Race or Cadel Road Race is an annual professional one-day road bicycle racing for both men and women starting and finishing in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and routed along th ...

;2019 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

UAE Tour The UAE Tour ( ar, جولة الإمارات) is a road cycling stage race in the United Arab Emirates. It was first held in 2019 as part of the UCI World Tour. It was created as a result of the merging of the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour. ...

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martens, Paul 1983 births Living people German male cyclists Sportspeople from Rostock People from Bezirk Rostock Cyclists from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 21st-century German people