Dan Martin has said he feels recovered after his ride last month at the Giro d’Italia and is now ready to race at the Tour de France.
The Irishman’s selection for the Tour has been confirmed
today by his Israel Start-Up Nation team, as expected.
The team plans to approach the Tour with Michael Woods as its main general classification rider. However, both Martin and Woods will also target stage wins.
Martin finished the Giro on May 30th having claimed 10th overall and taken a brilliant victory on stage 17. And while the Tour begins on Saturday week, less than one month after the Giro, Ireland’s Martin says he is ready to go.
Martin has now won stages in all three Grand Tours; one at the Giro, two at La Vuelta and two at the Tour.
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His last win at the Tour was, like his Giro win, a fantastic display; attacking on the steep Mur de Bretagne on stage 6 in 2018 and holding off all-comers to win. He was 2nd on the same finish back in 2015; beaten that day by Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R La Mondiale).
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This year’s race goes back to that climb on stage 2, and
Martin’s previous exploits raised the prospect about whether he could do it
again.
“It is indeed a climb that suits me and that I like. I am looking forward to returning to it,” he said of this year’s race revisting the Mûr.
“Racing my ninth Tour de France is something I was planning from the beginning of the season and I am happy that I am racing it, especially as it brings me back to the Mûr.”
Overall, Martin (34) believes his appearance at the Giro
this year will aid his assault on the Tour rather than hamper it.
“With the right balance of training and recovery, I think
having done the Giro can be beneficial, rather than a disadvantage,” he said,
adding he felt he had balanced his recovery and workload well in recent weeks.
“I took training a little bit easier after the Giro, and
I have done more intensity over the last few training (sessions). I feel
recovered and ready to race,” he said.
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