BIRMINGHAM Irish cyclist Dan Martin spoke to The Irish Post recently about his hopes for the Giro and why he chose to race in green.
Nemesha Balasundaram: How is your season going so far?
Dan Martin: Yeah, it’s a slow build up to the Giro, it didn’t quite go as well with a bit of sickness so I couldn’t really train how I wanted to going into those races, but at the same time it hasn’t really done me any harm, I’ll be a bit fresher then.
So, it’s my ambitions that are a bit dented because I like to be at the front in every race, but it’s been a good block of racing, just training, and we’re getting to the more important races for me personally this year.
NB: So you’re fully recovered now?
DM: I’m 100% now, it was just building up into the Tirreno [Adriatico] it wasn’t ideal preparation, but as I said, it was the first race it was fine and I feel good again now.
NB: How would you compare the start of this season to last year?
DM: It’s a completely different year, after the Liège at the end of April [2013] I was basically on holiday for four weeks, this year I’m going to ride around Italy for four weeks. We’re in a completely different position and we’re looking at different goals. If I was feeling as good as I was last year now, I’d be a bit worried.
NB: So, the Giro is your main focus this year?
DM: Yeah, it is. I think the big opportunity of the Giro is that it is starting in Ireland and then heading to Italy as well, I’m looking forward to it.
NB: Are you excited that the Giro is starting in Ireland?
DM: For sure, I think it’s going to be crazy; it’s going to be mental. The build up to the race has started. We don’t get the opportunity to race in Ireland at all now, only the national championships. When you do the Tour de France you can’t really come back for the national championships. So, to ride a top level race in Ireland it’s going to surprise a lot of people in Ireland as well.
Just the scale of the sport in Europe and the world tour, when it rolls into town it’s not just a bunch of guys on bikes, it’s a full on city closure and yeah, it’s pretty crazy. I think it’s pretty crazy most of the time. Hopefully that will entice kids to ride bikes, and I think the boom has already begun in Ireland but I think it will really grow the sport when they see what it’s all about.
NB: Sean Kelly recently said that the lack of promotion of the Giro in Ireland is a missed opportunity, do you agree?
DM: I think it’s hard to judge now because it’s several weeks away. If you start bashing people with publicity too early people will just get bored. I think time will tell when it’s two weeks to the race and the real build up starts, that’s when the promotion really needs to begin when it’s fresh in people’s minds.
That’s more important, having people on the side of the road rather than knowing about it six weeks in advance. As long as people know the week before the event, that’s all that matters. I think it’ll be hard to avoid the race, there’s been a lot funding and a lot of money going into bringing the event to Ireland, and I think you’d be a fool not to take advantage of it and publicise cycling.
Dan Martin (left) and Nicolas RocheI think it will happen but it’s a case of patience. I’m confident we’ll do a good job of promoting the event once the time comes closer.
NB: How are you feeling physically ahead of the race?
DM: I’ve been at an altitude two-week training camp with the team and then I’ve got races in Belgium as well before the Giro. I’m definitely ready, I’m ready psychologically and physically to compete in the grand tour. I would have been top 10 in the Tour de France last year if I didn’t get sick with two days to go, so I’m really excited to get the race going.
It’s going to be a strange race this year because you’ve got the three days in Ireland, and then it’s like starting a completely different race again once you get to Italy. It’s definitely something to look forward to, I’m excited.
NB: Will you compete in the Tour de France this year?
DM: I think I’ll wait and see how I’ll come out of the Giro. You don’t know how the race is going to go. If I race it how I want to race it, in front the whole three weeks and hopefully aiming towards a podium it’s going to be hard to do the Tour de France. It’s hard with three weeks of full on racing with recovery time, to be able to perform to your full potential in July.
But, it’s still open and anything can happen. Maybe I’ll get sick in the first week and I’ll pull out, then the Tour de France is definitely on the cards. Hopefully that won’t happen, and if all things go to plan I might not be in France in July! That’s the sacrifice you pay for aiming for the Giro.
NB: What influenced your decision to ride for Ireland instead of Great Britain and have you ever regretted this?
DM: It was easy to ride for GB when I was young; I went to school in the UK. National series, national championships, national team was all based where I was living, but Ireland was always close to my heart. I’ve always supported Ireland in every other sport and the Irish Federation were always asking me to be Irish and once I moved to France there was no reason for me to stay English anymore.
I mean I was considered as English in my first year in the U23 , but became disillusioned with how impersonal the British Federation was and the lack of respect that they show you. When you’ve got another Federation that’s really desperate to work with you that’s very appealing. I haven’t looked back since. I love riding for Ireland now, it’s definitely important to me, the nationality I’ve taken on.
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