Dan Martin in the climber's jersey on stage 11 of the Vuelta in 2011; when he also won a stage in the race. A much stronger athlete now, he is looking to this year's race to rescue his crash-hit season (Photo: Stefano Sirotti)
By Gerard Cromwell
When asked what his hopes and aims are for this year’s Vuelta a Espana, Dan Martin laughs.
“I want to try and finish," he says. "I keep falling off in these Grand Tours, so I hope to finish this one.”
The remark shows he has a sense of humour and seems to have gotten over his first stage crash at his last Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia in Belfast.
It's also an indication that he has first hand experience of how quickly aspirations of success in a three week stage race can be crushed.
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“I don’t really know what to expect,” says the Garmin Sharp leader shortly after celebrating his 28th birthday with his teammates.
“I think I’m feeling better than I’ve ever done going into a Grand Tour. We’ve got a super strong team here and I’m really positive, but anything can go wrong in a three week race.”
Dan Martin grimmaces in pain after the stage 7 crash that took him out of last year's Vuelta. Anyone remember how truly in bits he was?
Since that fateful day at the Giro back in May, Martin had time to convalesce at first and then begin his build up to the Vuelta and other end of season targets.
He admits that, if anything, it has left him fresher than previous years and he hopes to be in the mix for the overall classification at the Vuelta.
“I’ve been held back a fair bit the last year or so, so I really hope that I can ride to my potential and test myself against a stellar field this year.
“I always try and ride for the GC and even though I will be taking it day by day, I’d like to really finish off with a good GC result for once.
“Last year I came close in the Tour. I was top 10 and got sick in the last few days so hopefully I can get to the finish in the top 10 this time, and who knows where I can get in that top 10.
“For now it’s really just a case of going into it and doing the best possible.”
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There won't be a panda milked for a week in Ireland if Dan Martin can get a stage win over the next three weeks; seen here just about to pounce for Liège–Bastogne–Liège victory last year (Photo: Stefano Sirotti)
Like the Giro, the Vuelta starts with a team time trial, this time on the Andalucian streets of Jerez, and the race against the clock is sure to bring back painful memories for all of the Garmin Sharp team.
“I hope we get around safely,” says Martin.
“The course is a bit of a nightmare to be honest. The roads... I don’t know how slippery they are but you can basically see your face in them they’re so shiny.
"There’s something like 18 roundabouts and 2km of cobblestones on the course. It’s in the city centre so it’s very technical and not really a horsepower course.
"We’ll just be aiming to get around safely and not lose too much time and then we’ll get the race going on Sunday.”
“We haven’t really talked about it yet but obviously me and Ryder (Hesjedal) have been aiming for this since the Giro and we’re going to be the joint leaders, and Andrew (Talansky) is just behind.
“We don’t really know how he’s going after his crashes at the Tour and he’s almost a last minute addition to the team but it’s a super strong team. I think it’s the strongest team we’ve ever put into a Grand Tour.”
Martin’s recent form seems to be on the up, with second and third places on stages of French four-day Tour de l’Ain last week earning him third overall.
“Tour de l’Ain was really good. I was feeling better and better every day and that’s the way I was hoping to come into this race.
“Even between the Friday and the Saturday, I felt the form was getting better so it’s really exciting to be in that position, where my form seems to be improving rather than being in top form going into the race.
“Stage six is the first mountain top finish here so that’s the first crucial day for GC," he said of next Thursday.
“Obviously the race can be lost on any day but I’m feeling better than I have done all year so that’s exciting.”
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