Dan Martin in the leader's jersey in Catalunya 12 months ago; he says a disappointing Tirreno Adriatico doesn't mean he can't challenge to retain his title in the week ahead.
By Shane Stokes
Having placed 55th in this month’s Tirreno Adriatico, Dan Martin has acknowledged he was hoping for more in his season-opener, but believes it could yet be possible to battle for a second win in the Volta a Catalunya this week.
The Garmin Sharp rider beat Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) to win the Spanish stage race last year, joining Sean Kelly’s victories in 1984 and 1986 as the only times an Irishman has won the event.
Martin then went on to vanquish Rodriguez and some of the world’s top classics riders in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and also won a mountain stage in the Tour de France.
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He ended the year 6th overall in the world rankings and would have been higher in the standings had he not crashed out of the Vuelta a España.
“I have been taking it easy since Tirreno,” he told stickybottle in advance of Monday’s start of the Volta a Catalunya.
“We had superb weather there and it was a perfect race to get the legs going. Obviously it didn't go amazingly well for me, I got a bit sick. I had a bit a stomach problem on the mountain stages, strange sensations.
“I’m not really sure why it happened. My legs were good. I just couldn’t really eat and drink very much. That inhibits your performance. But now the legs and body feel good again and we’ll see what happens.”
Martin’s victory in last year’s Volta a Catalunya came after he launched a superb long range attack on stage four to Port Ainé–Rialp. He took over the leader’s jersey and then maintained it until the end of the race, fending off determined surges by Rodriguez and others.
It was the biggest win of his career at the time and made all the more special by the fact that he lives in the region, residing in Girona. Even if he is possibly a little behind on his 2013 form at this point, he said that he is fired up to fight for the victory. He pledges to do everything he can to be in the mix.
“Last year I obviously went into this race as one of my big objectives,” he said.
“This year, the Giro is my objective. So things are a bit later, we are a bit further behind than we were last year. But I have always performed well in Catalunya and it is a race I love.
“I don’t really set proper objectives and goals, I just go to every race and try to do my best for myself and the team.
“Last week I went in with a goal of helping Andrew [Talansky]. That didn’t really pan out the way we wanted it, but this week I will be going there to ride GC and of course, obviously, to try to defend the title to the best of my ability.”
On his way to the fantastic mountain stage win last year in Spain that saw him take the lead, which he retained all the way.
Martin would have liked to have clocked up a good performance by this point. A strong ride on one of the Tirreno stages would have given him reassurance that he was on track. He accepts that being ill in Italy has denied him that chance.
“After getting a bit sick last week, it isn’t so much that I am not confident in my form, it is that I just don’t know where I am. Last week was going to be a chance to test my legs and I didn’t get that opportunity. I don’t really know where I am at.
“Still, it’s going to be a very tactical race this week,” he said.
“Obviously with Saxo, Movistar and Sky being the strongest teams, they have got big cards to play. We can kind of hide in the shadows a little bit. Especially with the riders we have got going, we will just wait and see how the race pans out, and then use that strength to good effect.”
The race line-up reads like a who’s who of stage racing, with those taking part including Tour de France champion Chris Froome plus his right hand man Richie Porte (Sky), Tour runner-up Nairo Quintana (Movistar), 2007 and 2009 Tour winner Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo), Paris-Nice victor Carlos Betancur (Ag2r La Mondiale), Vuelta a España champion Chris Horner (Lampre-Merida) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), who was Martin’s closest rival last year.
Some of those have already topped the podium in races this year, proving they are in good shape. Martin is not focussing on that, though. As ever, he looks for the silver lining and believes he could end up with more freedom as a result of his comparatively quiet start.
“With the calibre of riders going into the race, I won’t be seen as a top favourite,” he said.
“But the underdog status really suits us well, both me and the team. As always, I don’t really feel pressure or anything. I’m just going to enjoy the week.
"I have the chance to ride a WorldTour race with number one on my back as defending champion and have a stage finish in my adopted home town. So it is going to be pretty special.”
There is however uncertainty of a different type. He is a climbing specialist and knows that the race will be won and lost in the mountains.
He had hoped to battle for the overall honours two years ago but his chance of taking the fight to the final winner Michael Albasini (Orica GreenEdge) suffered a blow when the queen stage was shortened due to bad weather.
As a result Albasini – who is not as strong a climber – held on to win overall, while Martin had to be satisfied with fourth. This time round, he has concerns that the same could happen again.
“Hopefully the weather will be okay – the forecast is pretty terrible,” he said.
“It looks like it might be snowing on Wednesday, Thursday for the mountain stages. It might be a case of 2012 all over again, and they might even have to cancel those stages. But we will see. Things are changing really fast, they always change fast here.
“Hopefully the winds will switch direction and we will have beautiful week’s racing. Obviously there is a top class field and a great course. The race deserves a bit of luck on the weather front.”
Looking beyond the coming week, Martin has taken a different path towards the Giro d’Italia, starting much later than some of his rivals for that race.
Both Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and Richie Porte (Sky) rode the Santos Tour Down Under, while Nairo Quintana (Movistar) also got his season underway in January when he rode the Tour de San Luis.
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Given that these three decided to get racing early in order to have a certain amount of competitive kilometres in their legs prior to the Italian Grand Tour, it’s logical to ask Martin why he has decided to begin his season far later.
Is there a danger he won't give himself enough time to peak by May? He doesn't see things that way.
“Last year I only did one day in Mediterranean and then got sick and was off the bike,” he said.
“It is pretty much the same programme that I had last year. It just looks different because everybody else has started early. Don’t forget that I finished later than everybody else as well…I was still in good form at the end of October.
“For me, this programme has enabled me to really get a consistent training plan for the winter. With the way the team planned out the camp in February as well, it lengthened my winter. Then I was in the gym a lot, I did a lot more gym work, a lot more strength training in the winter.
“We will see how it pans out. We always find as well that I do one stage race and my form seems to pick up rapidly. That is partly the idea as well. Last year I had a break after Liège and this year I have to do a few weeks more after Liège at a high level [in the Giro].”
Even though Tirreno didn’t work out as well as he had hoped, he believes there is a chance that competing there will kick start his system and lead to a good performance in Catalunya.
However he’s also clear that unlike last year, he needs to hold his peak far longer; while he switched off in 2013 after Liège, taking some time to recharge his batteries prior to the Tour, this time round he wants to perform strongly in the Giro.
Martin said that his winter was very good, with solid training and no health issues. However in the run up to Tirreno he was ill, picking up a virus which sapped his legs. He was able to train, but felt flat and lacking in energy.
He sees a bright side, though, reasoning that if the issue hadn’t cropped up, there was a chance he would hit strong form too soon.
After Catalunya, Martin will compete in the Ardennes Classics and then the Giro d’Italia. Unlike some of those who will compete in the Italian race, he won’t ride the Tour de Romandie.
“There are only eleven days between Liège and the Giro. I think it is better to go home and rest,” he said.
“Ardennes is such a hard week as well.”
Martin will of course try to win Liège again, but another race which appeals greatly to him is Flèche Wallonne.
He has performed well there in the past, netting placings of sixth and fourth at the top of the ferociously steep Mur de Huy. He was badly placed at the foot of the climb last year yet powered up the ascent, overtaking many, and only missed out on the podium by the smallest of margins.
The finale is very much one where power to weight is crucially important. This year he’d love to go on to win the race, and has been working hard off the bike to improve both his climbing and also his explosiveness.
“I really enjoy doing gym work,” he said, referring to the training methods advocated by Garmin-Sharp trainer Adrie Van Diemen.
“It’s something that I have done a lot more of, and the weight [lifted] has gone up in the gym. I don’t know if that is going to translate onto the bike or not, but we will see.”
If it does, the Mur de Huy and the steep climbs of the Giro are both places where he could capitalise.
Martin is now 27 years of age and if his evolution follows the pattern normally seen in cycling, he should continue to improve for the next two to three years. He knows he is entering his peak seasons.
However he doesn’t want to tempt fate by predicting a very big year ahead, or in taking anything for granted; he’ll keep working hard, presume nothing and remain hungry.
“You never know, you can’t really say how things will be,” he said, when asked about his expectations for the year.
“I had an incredible season in 2013 and for sure it is going to be hard to replicate the results I got.
“There obviously is a bit more expectation. People will be looking out for me a bit more this year. I will just keep what I am doing, keep my head down and keep working hard. Maybe with age and a little bit of training I can improve a bit more.”
If so, he hopes that will translate into the Grand Tours. The Giro d’Italia begins in Belfast on May 9th and spends three days between the North and the Republic.
He’s clear that he’d like to perform very strongly, both because of his desire to keep progressing in three week events and also because of those opening stages.
He knows that it could be a once in a lifetime chance to begin a Grand Tour in this country and is fired up by the thoughts of racing in front of home fans.
“With the Giro coming up, it is really exciting to be in Ireland,” he said, relishing the thought.
However that won’t be his only opportunity to ride here. He is the patron of the Cycle4Life.ie charity, which raises funds for Temple Street Children’s hospital. The annual group ride will take place on June 7th, and Martin has said he is hoping for a strong turnout.
“When the Giro finishes I will be back in Ireland again for the Cycle for Life event,” he said.
“That is something I am really excited about. Depending on how the Giro goes, it might be a homecoming, or it might be a way to brighten up my spirits. You don’t know which way it is going to go.
“Whatever way the Giro pans out, though, it is going to be a fantastic day here again. Obviously we are trying to get as many people signed up as possible, so hopefully people will do that now.”
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