At the end of July this year, wearing the Q36.5 Continental jersey, we saw him raise his arms at the finish line of the Bassano – Montegrappa and from January 1st we will see him in the WorldTour with Team Picnic PostNL. Juan Martinez, a twenty-year-old Colombian climber, has reached an agreement with the Dutch team, which has officially signed him for the next three seasons.

Martinez also made a name for himself at the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta, where he won the climbers' classification and finished sixth overall, nearly winning the stage to Pré Saint Didier where he beat Jarno Widar.

Rudi Kemna, technical manager of the Dutch team, stated: "Juan has demonstrated his climbing talent, he did well at the Giro Valle d'Aosta, which is one of the most prestigious races for climbers. He is very young and we believe he can continue to improve with us in the coming years".

Martinez, originally from the Boyacá department in central Colombia, expressed himself thus: "The dsm-firmenich PostNL Team is one of the biggest teams in the world and it will be special to become professionals with them. They have developed many riders in the past, so I think it will be a good choice to start my career". And further: "I think I'm a pure climber, but I just want to improve as much as possible in the coming years. I hope to help the team win more victories and I dream of winning some myself".

From Colombia comes Juliana Londoño. Junior World Champion in the Omnium and winner of the Pan American Time Trial Championships in 2023, the girl from Medellín will turn twenty on January 14th and in the next season will be teammates with Francesca Barale, Rachele Barbieri, Eleonora Ciabocco, and Marta Cavalli.

Juliana came to cycling after practicing skating. This year, with the World Cycling Center Team, she participated in various competitions including the Giro dell'Emilia and Tre Valli Varesine Women, and distinguished herself by winning the Clásica de Rionegro at home and finishing on the podium in the third stage of the Princess Anna Vasa Tour.

"I am really excited to become part of the dsm-firmenich PostNL Team next year. It will be a big step for me to race in the WorldTour, but I just want to learn as much as possible from the other girls on the team and the staff". And further, "I have a good sprint, but I also want to be a complete rider and not focus on just one specialty because I am still young", declared the Colombian athlete.

These were the words of technical director Rudi Kemna: "Juliana has been on our scouting department's radar for some time. She came to visit us at our Sittard center, where we did some tests, and she really impressed us not only with her test results but also with her personality".