Dan Martin, in black, starts his 2014 season in Italy tomorrow and is looking to build for the Giro while taking whatever chances come his was at Tirreno-Adriatico in the next seven day.
By Brian Canty
Ireland’s Dan Martin gets his 2014 racing season underway tomorrow at the seven-day Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy.
It is only the Garmin-Sharp rider’s second time doing the race after last year’s rain-lashed event where he finished 20th overall, almost eight minutes down on race winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).
Martin said he’s under no pressure whatsoever for the coming week, with his first big goal just two months away. Indeed, the team for Tirreno is built around American Andrew Talansky.
But given the significant number of new faces in the team’s roster this year – and the retirements of Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie - Martin says he is keen to show the new riders the ropes and lead by example by chasing whatever results are possible.
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“The average age has dropped substantially in the team this year and there’s a lot of young riders,” he told stickybottle.
“That’s going to change how we race and it’s definitely changed my position in the team. I feel old now,” laughed the 26-year-old.
“I’m now one of the older guys. It has brought it home to me that I’m going into my seventh season this year and the time has flown by.
“I have a bit of experience now and it’s time to start helping the younger guys. Seeing how they look to me for advice is a bit daunting in some respects. But obviously after last season it’s a position I’m very willing to take on.”
Martin has enjoyed a longer than usual break from racing with his last race in Japan almost five months ago now. But that rest, he says, was a welcome break and he’s now ready to ratchet up the intensity again.
“I left home in Girona last week and I think I’ll only have something like eight days back there between now and June. I’m so relaxed, but I do want to get going. I think I’m going okay but I’m just easing myself into it, I’m relaxed going into the season.
“I was a bit sick a couple of weeks ago but everything has been perfect, it was a perfect winter. So coming into this race I don’t have any pressure, it’s just building for the Giro.
“I’ll just see what happens. I always race hard anyway but I’ll be backing up Talansky because he’s going well and wants to do well here. Who knows how my legs will be, I really don’t know.”
Dan Martin on his way to winning the queen stage and overall at the Volta a Catalunya last March. The race will be his next big goal after Tirreno-Adriatico.
Last year Garmin-Sharp got off to a disastrous start on extremely slick roads in what is known as the ‘Race to the two Seas’, finishing a lowly 16th out of 22 teams in the team time-trial.
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And with the Giro featuring a similar discipline on the opening day in Belfast on May 9th, Martin says they’ll be viewing this as preparation of sorts.
“The team time trial is going to hurt tomorrow but we’re really smooth in training and that makes it easier; when you’ve guys who are so strong at it.
“We’re definitely not the strongest on paper but the collective, we could do well. Our objective is to stay close to the GC guys with Andrew and then for myself. There’s no pressure or expectation.
“Obviously I’ve got Catalunya coming up so I’ll just ease myself into it. It’s okay to not destroy myself here at Tirreno.
“Obviously the team time-trial going to be important for the Giro. I’m happy with my position this year on the bike and I’m very happy with the setup I’ve got and I feel comfortable.
“It is kind of strange spending so much time working on position and equipment – and then all I do is a nine-kilometre time-trial here, and then the Giro. It’s kind of a strange scenario but that’s the way the sport is and it’s so crucial to be good against the clock.”
And with the Giro looming, starting in Belfast on May 9th, he said everything between now and then is geared towards being in the best shape possible.
“It’s partly the reason for the slower start to the season because if I was flying now it would raise a bit of a red flag or a warning. It’d be a worry for how the form will be on the start line in Belfast in two months.
“But my training is where I want it to be now and it’s just a matter of easing into these races. The Giro is the Giro and that is the aim. Not only because it’s starting in Ireland but it’s a Grand Tour that suits me.
“Hopefully my allergies will be under control then, I can never say if they’ll be fully under control, it’s a bit of an unknown.
“We’ll have a strong team to help me out in a race that suits my characteristics so it’s exciting. And obviously the start in Ireland, hopefully I’ll be able to carry that high of it starting at home all the way through the three weeks.”
Though fellow Irishman Sam Bennett won’t be in the Giro, he will be in Tirreno this week and Dan said he’s looking forward to catching up with him after a stunning opening couple of months with his new team, NetApp-Endura.
“I’ve always known how talented Sam is,” said Martin.
“He should be able to string results together but he’s always had this habit of getting injured. But if he strung together a few months of fine training he could be a really, really good bike rider.
“I think he has profited from a good winter of training and he’s also getting older, so that age brings maturity. I think his third place in Oman was actually probably more impressive than his result in Almeria.
“In Almeria he was one of the guys to look out for but the stage in Oman, that was very impressive and he showed how fast he is against the top guys.
“I’m looking forward to catching up with him this week to see how he gets on against the best sprinters in the world again. I think Friday’s stage suits him a lot actually so hopefully he’ll get his chance to shine.
“I know his teammates and their manager and they’ve a lot of belief in him. He just has to keep his feet on the ground but I know Sam and I know he will. If he just keeps his head tucked in and stays training hard he’ll continue to progress. I just hope the team don’t rush him into anything, he’s still very young.”
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