Dan Martin has said because he is in the last phase of his career, and would not be around to ride another Olympics, he is really hoping to get a medal in Saturday’s road race in Tokyo.
Martin, now aged 34 years, will be competing in his third Games. Last time around in Rio his wife, Jess, was competing for Great Britain as a long distance runner on the track. Martin’s father, Neil Martin, is a former British national road race champion and rode two Olympics.
However, while Dan Martin will be adding to an incredible family involvement in the Games, he has said he is not there for ceremony or family legacy as this Olympics was all about getting a medal, on a hilly course that should suit him.
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With both himself and his cousin, Nicolas Roche, in the latter years of their racing careers, Martin said it was now or never for him to win an Olympic medal as it was highly unlikely he would still be a pro in three years time.
"We're both getting to the twilight of our careers.
I'm pretty sure I won't be going to the next Olympics so this is my last
opportunity to get a medal,” Martin said in an interview with PA in Tokyo.
"I've done the Olympic thing now, I'm not just going
to get the t-shirt, I'm going to try and get a medal."
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Martin is coming out of the Tour de France, which he has described as the most intense of his career. The riders who competed in the Tour should have an edge on everyone else in Saturday's road race, as long as they have gotten their recovery right.
Added to that, Martin really seemed to get stronger towards the back end of the Tour, pulling out his best result on the final mountain stage to Luz Ardiden, with 5th place.
Martin is also a former monument winner, so he knows how to win the big one-day races. And having won a brilliant stage at the Giro this year, and placed 4th overall at La Vuelta last year, there is no sense of late-career decline.
Immediately his selection for the Olympics was confirmed,
Martin was straight out the traps saying he had a medal on his mind for Tokyo.
“I’m over the moon to be going to the Olympics again.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about since they announced a tough course in
Tokyo,” he said at the time.
“I want to go to the Olympics to try and get a medal which,
with almost 5,000 metres of climbing on this year’s circuit, is a realistic
goal.”
He also said because he did not ride general
classification at the Tour, he felt he would have much more in reserve in
Saturday’s road race. Martin noted that Greg Van Avermaet won the gold in Rio
five years ago by riding the Tour but not riding for GC, and so having plenty
in reserve at the Games.
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