Dan Martin is set to ride the Giro d’Italia for the first time since he crashed out of the race on the opening TTT in Belfast seven years ago.
His Israel Start-Up Nation team said Martin (34) would
also play a central role at the Tour de France a month after the end of the Giro
and it believed he could also “deliver” at the Tour.
It is also intended that Chris Froome and the in-form
Michael Woods will have key roles in the team’s Tour line up in July.
The move to enter Martin into the Giro will come as a surprise to many, though both the Irish rider and his team have suggested he always had “unfinished business” with the Giro after crashing out seven years ago.
Advertisement
“It feels
like I am a neo-pro again,” Dan Martin
said of going to the Italian Grand Tour. “It feels like unfinished
business there as, well, I guess everybody knows the story.
“I arrived at the start in Belfast in excellent form and
crashed out halfway through the TTT in stage 1. It was tough for me to watch
the race that year, but I have always been a huge fan of the [Giro].
Related News
“After completing it in 2010, it has just never fit with
my goals or the team’s ambitions since then for me to be at the Ardennes
classics and the Tour.
“The course looks good for the strong team who will start
alongside me in Torino. I can’t wait for the opportunity to go for a stage win
in Italy, and to try to complete my set of Grand Tour stage victories.
“Italy is a country I love with roads that I have enjoyed
considerable success on. It feels like I am discovering a new race – like I’m a
neo-pro again.”
Team manager Kjell Carlstrom said Martin’s 4th place
overall, and his stage win, at La Vuelta last year had significantly influenced
the team’s decision to send him to the Giro.
“This year’s Giro d’Italia should, on paper, suit Dan and
his style of racing quite well, and it will be very interesting to see how
things go as there are certainly many contenders,” he said of the race with six
mountaintop finishes and seven hilly stages.
“Dan will be surrounded by a squad that can support him
both on flat and hilly terrain. We believe he can perform well in both Grand
Tours,” he said of Martin riding both Giro and Tour.
Topics
