Dan Martin will be going to the start line in Portugal looking for success in a race that should really suit him.
After a very strong ride in his opening race of the year the week before last, Dan Martin will be in action for QuickStep in coming days and is looking for success.
The Irishman leads the general classification hopes of his team in the Volta ao Algarve which gets underway on Wednesday.
The 2.HC-ranked five-day race features plenty of climbing that should suit Martin down to the ground.
And even of his condition has only been nudged on slightly by the recent Volta A la Communicat Valenciana – where he finished 5th overall – he should be a force to be reckoned with.
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The team also has Fernando Gaviria and Maximiliano Richeze, who won two stages each at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina last month, will be hunting for stage victories on the flatter days.
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Gaviria in particular looks like he is in the form of his life, but Martin will definitely be hoping to win the race outright considering the course.
The opening stage to Lagos should prove one for the sprinters but stage 2 and stage 5 will see the climbers come out to play.
The riders face the steep climb to Alto da Fóia on stage 2 which takes them to 902 metres, the highest point of the event. And on stage 5 they will also contend with the Alto do Malhão finish, a 2.5km ramp of 9.4 per cent.
There is also an 18km TT on stage 4 that Martin will need to perform to his best on if he is to maintain his general classification hopes in what will be his first ever appearance in the event.
There are a total of 11 WorldTour teams in the race meaning it will be a very big test.
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