Paul Martens showed improvement in the Tour of Norway’s third stage today after a difficult early season. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s German rider finished 15^th on the uphill to Geilo and Mads Pedersen (Stölting Service Group) won.

“We wanted to be part of the breakaway,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said. “Tom Van Asbroeck and Victor Campenaerts were the ones who had to make it into the break. They did the best they could. At a certain moment, the both of them were part of a group of twenty riders and they seemed to be able to stay in front. The peloton didn’t give it up, so everything came back together anyway. Three riders escaped at that moment and stayed in front.”

That meant that Team LottoNL-Jumbo had to count on Paul Martens for the final climb. “He gave it his all,” Zeeman continued. “He’s improving slowly. He feels that he’s getting better and that’s great to see. Paul was suffering in the beginning of the season, but he is obviously improving. We want to continue with that improvement in the upcoming days.”

On Saturday, Martens gets another chance. “The final part of the stage is on a tough local lap,” Zeeman added. “I think that it’s a day that suits Paul. We’re going to support him.”