Dan Martin (Quick Step Floors) will line up at the start of the Tour de France for the fifth time in his career and the Irish rider has said that he’s looking to improve on his ninth place overall last year.
“Last year I made some mistakes, but I learned a lot from that race, so I’m very optimistic about my chances this time around,” said Martin.
“I’m coming here without any pressure, but with a big confidence boost from my Dauphiné ride earlier this month.
“Actually, my entire season was strong and consistent, and I don’t think I’ve finished a stage race outside the top six. If I’ll keep that record intact by Paris, I’ll be happy.”
Top three finishes at Paris-Nice and Critérium du Dauphiné, together with a brace of runner-up places at Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, are Martin’s top results so far this season, one which saw him make another step forward in the Quick-Step Floors jersey. It comes as no surprise that halfway through the season, he lies in 7th place in the World Tour individual classification.
“We are coming here with a strong and experienced team, one who can predict race tactics. If you look over our squad, you can notice it’s very solid, especially for the first week of the race, which in the past used to be a problem for me. Many things can happen during the opening part of the Tour de France, and having such a team by my side makes me very happy”, the 30-year-old explained.
With the course taking the peloton through all of the countries five major mountain ranges, three summit finishes and limited time-trial kilometres, the thirty year-old finds parcours very much to his liking.
“First stages could be tricky, but if I get through them without any bad luck and leave the legs do the talking, then things will be just fine. The steep climbs could make for an aggressive and unpredictable race, just as we had at the Dauphiné, when the GC guys were left without any teammates before the last ascent. There will be many opportunities to gain or lose time, so we might be in for an open and spectacular race.”
