Following a superb 2011 season where he ended the year ninth in the world rankings and was the highest-placed Garmin-Cervélo rider, Dan Martin is aiming to ride his first Tour de France next July.
The Irish climber was passed over for team selection in 2011 and while he said afterwards that the team’s time trial success and strong race vindicated the chosen lineup, he wants to make his Tour debut in 2012.
Martin finished 13th overall in the Vuelta a España and won the mountain stage to La Covatilla. It was his most consistent Grand Tour performance and proved that he is now developed enough to be competitive over three weeks.
That, his Giro della Toscana victory, his runner-up slots in the Tour of Poland and Il Lombardia plus his third place in the Volta a Catalunya show that he’s developed into one of the Garmin-Cervélo’s top riders. Now 25 years of age, he feels ready to tackle the sport’s biggest event.
“I really want to concentrate on the Ardennes but the other aim is to get on the Tour team,” he told VeloNation. “I know I’m definitely on the long list after my performances last year, so we will see it pans out.
“Obviously I have shown that I can perform in three week Tours now. I went to the Vuelta to prove to myself and the team that I can actually perform over the course of three weeks. I have now done that, I have shown that I am at the level to be able to do something at the Tour de France.
“I have always said that as soon as I am ready to perform, I would like to go and perform on the bigger stages. It is going to be an exciting year and hopefully I can stay healthy and get to France in July next year.”
Martin missed out on the team’s training camp and launch in Colorado, spending time instead in South Africa and attending his friend Daryl Impey’s wedding. He hasn’t finalised his buildup towards the Ardennes races, but has time to do so.
“At the moment I am down to the Tour of the Med,” he said, talking about when he will start racing. “I am pretty relaxed about my programme, I am still talking to the team about it. But I am definitely looking at the Ardennes as a first peak. Then I will take it really easy in May, doing some reconnaissance for the Tour if I am planning on going.
“We will go look at some stages and then try to be as good as possible for the July and of course the Olympics. The world championships suit me…I can’t seem to get that out of my head. That is also a nice objective, to keep me racing all year round.”
Martin’s Il Lombardia performance saw him end the season on a high. It was the best performance by an Irish rider in a Classic since Sean Kelly won the 1992 Milan-Sanremo, and gave a big morale boost heading into the winter.
Having taken a complete break from the bike, he’s now training well again in Girona. In fact, it sounds like he’s doing a bit more than he had anticipated. “The weather is incredible down here, it is 16 to 18 degrees,” he said. “I haven’t seen a cloud in three weeks! It is really nice to get back into training. I’m actually praying it rains so I can have a day off…”