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18 August |
Tre Valli Varesine : "A huge race to win"Wow. That was unexpected. I knew my legs were strong, but felt horrible all day. Had last week relaxing after Poland and enjoying a bit of downtime with 3 young cousins who kind of took it out of me. I still rode and kept focused on GP Plouay, but was planning on using today as an 'opener'. I needed it, but guess I came round to take advantage of an incredible opportunity when I was presented with it. To be racing hard against the biggest names in Italian cycling was fantastic, but also played to my advantage as the favourites hesitated, watching each other when me and Pozzovivo attacked with 2km togo. I was confident that once I got a gap, I would be difficult to catch, but to have that much time to celebrate was incredible. I've since realised what a huge race this is, and my name now sits on the palmares alongside many of cyclings greats.  Comments (2)
by Andy MG Bash the 2010/08/19
Can I correct you Dan, you weren't "racing some of the biggest names in Italian Cycling" YOU BEAT THEM!!! Well done again, cracking ride.
by Jay Nolan the 2010/08/23
Well done dan its turning out to be a super year for you, there hasnt been as much intrest in pro cycling here in Ireland since Kelly & Roche. Watched all through the tour of Poland but wasnt expecting what you produced, your break away on stage 5 was perfect again well done keep up the good work. |
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17 August |
Tre Valli Varesine - Make that a double!Dan Martin triumphed solo once again in Varese today to win the one day race from Bissone to Varese.
Counter attacking with Domenico Pozzovivo in the last kilometre on the final climb up the Bobbiate, he managed to pull away and win by 6 seconds, with Jerome Baugnies in third a futher 6 seconds back.
Dan who recently won the Tour of Poland with a similar style of win, and having rode well at the Brixia Tour previously is currently in an amazing set of form.
He will be hoping to repeat his win in his next big Italian race at the Tour of Lombardy, but first will be the GP de Plouay which gave a good result last season with a 5th placed finish. Comments (0)
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09 August |
UCI RankingsUCI World Rankings , the latest of which were realeased today, show a super-surge up the league table for Dan. Now 36th with 106 points, Dan is looking to hopefully add to the tally in up-coming counting events such as GP Ouest France Plouay in August and the Tour of Lombardy in October. Comments (0)
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07 August |
Dan wins Tour of Poland!
DAN WINS TOUR OF POLAND !! Today Dan became the first Irish rider to win a ProTour status stage race since the ProTour's inception in 2005. It's also the first major multi-day race win for the nation since the Roche - Kelly era of the Eighties. With the last stage culminating in a mass sprint finish , the Garmin - Transitions team shepherded their man home round a tight and tricky finishing circuit to defend his over-night lead of 8 seconds over Grega Bole of Lampre. A very happy Dan ended the day with a minor problem however ; how to get the Fiat Brava car he had just won back home to Girona!! Comments (7)
by John Tonks the 2010/08/10
Amazing win. Look forward to following your future results.
by snow the 2010/08/10
congratulations! gr8 job.
by Well done Dan!! the 2010/08/08
Yeah Dan, - You have made us proud to be Irish. What a fantastic win from a fantastic professional rider. Although you have had your injuries. Now is the time you will come good. We are planning ahead to go to see yourself and Nicholas in Next Years tour!! If you are in Cork let me know!! We have a spare room for a legend John Ring Cobh
by neems the 2010/08/08
absolutely brilliant I am 16 and mess around on the bike and I watched Dan's win all the way... yay hay!!!
by Ronan the 2010/08/09
Congrats Dan - may this be the first of many. Yourself and Nick are creating a real buzz around Irish cycling.
by Andy Meregreenbash the 2010/08/09
Fabulous result Dan, my heart was in my mouth watching the bunch tiptoe across those wet cobbles, seeing you keep a clear road ahead looked perfect tactics, well done again.
by pol.m the 2010/08/09
Dan fantastic ride had me on the edge of my seat, great support from yr team.Really happy 4 ya,yr team and family |
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23 April |
La Fleche Wallonne
World Champion climbs the wall faster than the rest!
Cadel Evans triumphed on the Mur de Huy, over Joaquin Rodriguez and Alberto Contador in an exciting finale on one of the toughest finishes in world cycling, and the second of the three Ardennes Classics. The day began in Charleroi with 195.5km to the finish on the Mur. A break of five riders gave the race a bit of urgency to begin with going after 40km, but was always expected to be caught on a course that had 9 climbs including 3 ascents of the Mur de Huy, which averages over 9% in just 1.5 km with sections reaching nearly 20%.
Caisse d'Epargne and Katusha both controlled the head of the peloton in order to gradually bring the break back, and having had over 8 minutes at one point, by the time they crossed the finish line for the first time, the break had an advantage of just over 7 minutes. By the time the peloton were 80km from the finish, 7 more riders chanced their arm and took a flier over the Côte de Haut-Bois. These riders included the ever dangerous Jens Voigt of Team Saxo Bank, as well as Christophe Moreau who now rides for Caisse d’Epargne.
The chase of this group of riders, and especially the two veterans, led to a major crash which caused injuries to a number of the racers and split the remnants of the peloton into pieces. The higher speeds of the race shut down the breaks over the second passage of the Mur de Huy, and with just 30km to go (a change from recent years to spice up the racing) there were attacks on the descent by Franck Schleck and Roman Kreuziger. Astana then led the chase, looking to set up Alberto Contador for the race win, but Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) saw a chance and jumped out to reach the leaders on the road. He was joined by four others but they could not make an impact.
At the Côte d'Ereffe, Sergei Ivanov attacked and once again Hesjedal went after him looking to join up and ride away to the finish, but again the peloton just eased up to him and Ivanov bringing the race back together. Attack after attack came and went, and in-form Luis Leon Sanchez and Valverde tried the last one before the final ascent of the Mur de Huy. This left Andreas Kloden to attack but with the distance and steepness it was a suicide move, and Igor Anton went with Contador on his wheel, but they both went too early. Cadel Evans for once delayed his final attack till the last 200m where he rode around the fading duo and crossed the line in his Rainbow Jersey to win the Fleche Wallonne from Joaquin Rodriguez and 2009 Tour de France winner Contador.
Dan Martin rode a smart race missing the majority of the problems in the race, and doing a very good ride up the Mur de Huy to finish in 18th place, 19 seconds behind Cadel Evans. This could be a good warm-up for La Doyenne on Sunday (Liege-Bastogne-Liege).
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22 April |
Vuelta al Pais Vasco wrap-upStage 4: Sanchez steals the stage win.
The 160km stage from Murguia Zuia to Eibar saw rhe first real shake up of GC, when Samuel Sanchez proved that the Stage 1 problems he suffered were just a one-off and attacked numerous times to gain the victory over Alejandro Valverde and Robert Gesink. On the Alto de Usartza, Sanchez with Horner broke away from the peloton breaking it into fragments climbing at their own pace and creating large time gaps. But Valverde and Gesink managed to work together and pull the pair back before Sanchez used his descending skills to finally break the shackles and take his first win in a quiet season so far. Dan worked really hard to stay with the front groups but fell back with team-mate Ryder Hesjedal to 26th place on the stage and 16th Overall.
Stage 5: Rodriguez sails away to solo win.
Joaquin Rodriguez wowed the crowds on the 170km stage from Eibar to Orio with a solo attack 20km from the stage finish to win arguably the toughest stage of this years Tour of the Basque Country. Using his superior climbing skills on the Alto de Aia which had sections approaching 30% and had many cyclists walking up to the summit, it was mesmorising to see the diminutive Spaniard fly up the steep hill not once, but twice on a demanding circuit around Orio. At the second time of asking over the summit, Valverde worked hard to preserve the race lead and with the help of Chris Horner, they duly held the gap to 14 seconds. But Gesink, who crashed fell away and lost over 1 minute to tumble down the overall. Dan managed to limit losses to 59 seconds and finish 19th on the stage, and remain in 16th Overall.
Stage 6: Horner decimates field in Time Trial to take overall.
Chris Horner snatched the stage win and the overall from Alejandro Valverde in the Time Trial around Orio to enjoy arguably his finest day on the European Professional Circuit. The 22km stage was quite hilly to begin with before settling down for the final two-thirds of the course. HTC-Columbia at one point looked like taking not only the podium but also the top 5 places as rider after rider from the US based team went faster and faster on the demanding course. Even Time Trial specialist Bradley Wiggins could not manage to upset Michael Rogers, Maxime Monfort, Marco Pinotti and Peter Velits. Then came the big guns with Beñat Intxausti first crossing the line just 8 seconds behind Monfort and looking very competitive. Rodriguez was poor finishing off the pace and losing a podium place due to it. But it was all down to Valverde vs. Horner, and the battle was epic for the first 15km with the two riders trading seconds before Horner finally found the extra stamina over the final 7km. Horner crossed the line with the fastest time of 32 minutes and 33 seconds, and this left Valverde to get home in 32:34 or better to take the overall, but he could only manage a time 8 seconds slower than Horner and with it the stage win and overall went to the American. Dan rode a solid race finishing 1 minute 31 seconds down on a tough course in 25th place and moving up to 15th Overall, not bad for someone who was suffering with allergies through the race, and unable to really push to the highest level. Comments (0)
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08 April |
Vuelta al Pais Vasco Stage 3Gavazzi the stage, Freire the Jersey.
As the weather turned on stage 3 of the Tour of the Basque Country from Viana to Amurrio, Francesco Gavazzi took a stage win with Oscar Freire taking his third successive second place in a small bunch sprint finish. With cooler temperatures and heavy rain at the start of the day the peloton rolled out of yesterdays stage finish of Viana tackle the 187km course. A break of six riders got away after 20km with Eduard Vorganov being the best placed rider at just 1 minute 40 seconds behind initial race leader Alejandro Valverde.
This break forged a good lead but the writing was on the wall as they approached the final climb of the Alto de Mendeika with the gap at the top being 1 minute exactly and over 15km to go. As the peloton took the descent, the sprinters teams of Rabobank, Lampre and with the final closing done by Team Sky, it was going to be a technical sprint finish amongst the small peloton that remained into Amurrio. After a strong lead out in the final km by Bradley Wiggins, Gavazzi managed to find the best line through the final few corners and took the short uphill straight at a high enough speed to stop Freire finally getting his first stage in this race. A gap in the bunch of 2 seconds however, gave Freire the leaders jersey as Valverde finished in the second half of the main bunch at the finish. Dan finished safely with the Valverde group in 70th place and maintained his time gap on Valverde at 1 second, as Freire is not expected to be able to do well in the stage tomorrow on the mountain top finish in Eibar.
Stage Result
1. F. Gavazzi 4:49:52 2. O. Freire 3. P. Velits ... 70. D. Martin @2"
Overall after Stage 3
1. O. Freire 14:41:30 2. A. Valverde @2" 3. R. Hesjedal @3" ... 17. D. Martin @3" Comments (0)
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06 April |
Vuelta al Pais Vasco Stage 2Valverde makes it two from two! Dan rises to 6th on GC.
Alejandro Valverde managed to hold off Oscar Freire to take stage two from Zierbana to Viana today to hold onto the lead in the Tour of the Basque Country today, whilst openig up a slender advantage on everyone else with a one second gap on the main bunch starting with 3rd placed Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre) leading this group home.
The longest stage of the Tour, at 217km over 6 categorised climbs, started with a break over the Alto de Humaran of three riders including Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) who lost over 9 minutes the day before so was allowed some leeway in the stages break. He went away with Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel) and highest placed rider Jose Benitez (Footon-Servetto) @2:40 behind Valverde on GC. This almost certainly meant that the break would never be allowed to stay away, but that they did for much of the stage, pushing out a maximum advantage of seven and a half minutes. Benitez fell away from the lead riders on the Alto de Aldea as the peloton pushed hard with Caisse d'Epargne, helped sporadically by Garmin-Transitions and Rabobank started to quickly drag back the break with 40km to go. With the duo caught 10km later, this led to really hard riding by Rabobank as side winds ravaged the peloton into smaller groups. This came back together however, as the winds changed direction with the roads and subsided.
Further attacks came and were extinguished almost as quickly over the final 15kms including one in the final 2kms by Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), latched onto by Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin) and Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d'Epargne). However as the road rose to the finish in Viana the main bunch caught the trio at the final corner allowing Valverde to open out his sprint up to the line with Freire in his wheels. With a similar situation to yesterdays controversial finish, Freire seemingly had his line blocked by Valverde cutting across his right to the barriers boxing in Freire. But, this time the judges decided to allow the result to stand and also give a one second gap to the rest of the bunch.
Stage Result 1. A. Valverde 5:53:40 2. O. Freire 3. F. Gavazzi @1" 4. M. Albasini 5. S. Sanchez ... 15. D. Martin
Overall after Stage 2
1. A. Valverde 9:31:58 2. O. Freire 3. R. Hesjedal @1" 4. A. Kolobnev 5. R. Uran 6. D. Martin Comments (0)
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05 April |
Vuelta al Pais Vasco Stage 1Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) won a controversial stage 1 of the Tour of the Basque Country today, having been outsprinted by Oscar Freire (Rabobank) before the protest by the aforementioned rider caused Freire to be demoted on the stage. The 152km stage on a number of circuits around the Basque port of Zierbena, had a 5 man group get away from the peloton after just 3km and take a maximum lead of nearly 6 minutes before slowly breaking apart over the La Reineta and then with just Sergei Klimov (Katusha) remaining at the foot of the Las Calizas having broken away from Christian Meier (Garmin-Transitions) and Sergio Carrasco Garcia (Andalucia-Cajasur).
Then the in-fighting amongst the major players began with Dan Martin being part of one of the many attacks going breifly clear on Las Calizas before being caught and passed by a group containing Valverde, Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and Chris Horner (Radioshack). Over the top this group of 9 riders had 20 seconds on a larger group containg Dan, Freire, Kolobnev (Katusha) and Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank). This played out over the descent and the flattish finish with the gap going back and forth till the final 2km when the second group fianlly managed to bridge across to the Valverde group making it look so easy for Freire to win the stage as the apparent "best" sprinter of the group. In the final kilometre Valeri Agnoli (Liquigas) put in a early run for the line before Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d'Epargne) led out Valverde and Freire with the latter getting the wheel and the jump to race to the line and cross it first.
The race jury however decided that Freire's line was detrimental to Valverde and caused him to slow up and not contest the finish thus Freire was demoted to 24th place at the same time, promoting everyone else in the group up one spot, including Dan to 8th after a very good sprint and his team-mate Ryder Hesjedal to a podium spot in 3rd after a strong showing over the final 20km including a solo attempt to reach the leading group on the descent of Las Calizas. Tomorrwo sees Valverde take the Yellow Leaders Jersey, and Garmin's Christian Meier take the Blue Metas Volantes Jersey into stage 2, a 217km between Zierbana and Viana with 6 categorised climbs and a steep uphill finish into Viana itself.
1. A. Valverde 3:57:58 2. O. Freire 3. C. Le Mevel 4. R. Hesjedal 5. A. Kolobnev 6. J. Van den Broeck 7. R. Uran 8. H. Zubeldia 9. D. Martin 10. B. Intxausti
Edit: Oscar Freire was only relegated one position to 2nd rather than 24th so Dan finished in 9th not 8th as originally reported, and Ryder Hesjedal in 4th not 3rd. Comments (0)
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10 March |
Fall in Limoges: Dan's in good spiritsVictim of a spectacular fall this Tuesday in the final of the Paris-Nice stage to Limoges, Dan emerged relatively unscathed. " All is well, in spite of a large bang on my knee." He made a point of specifying this with his supporters.With falling in the last kilometer, Dan does not waste time with general classification. He is 68th, behind by 1' 12" to Lars Boom (Rabobank).
The 3rd stage will lead the group through the Massif Central, from Aurillac, on a ground more hilly. Dan, which says to feel " very extremely in this moment" , will he, or anyone attack on the Côte de la Martinie, within 3 km of the finish? Or will everyone look to be reserved for the stage to Mende on Thursday, and its famous final climb up the Montee Jalabert?
Video courtesy of Dave Marsdin at Team Sky Fans and British Eurosport Comments (1)
by pol.m the 2010/03/11
nasty looking crash Dan hope it hasnt taken 2 much out of ya.Take care pol.m |
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10 March |
Dan and his early 2010 race scheduleDan has found out a good part of his 2010 race schedule. In an interview with the velonation.com site. After having begun again last week with the Tour Mediterranean, Dan rode the Tour of Haut-Var. He hesitated between Paris-Nice and the Turn of Murcia, but Dan will take part in the Race to the Sun, before taking part in theory with the Tour of the Pays Basque (rather than the Tour of Catalonia from which he scored an excellent 2nd place overall last year, when it was held in May). Then, with the Ardennes, with the Fleche Wallone (where Dan has big ambitions) and Liege Bastogne Liege. On the other hand, the Irish rider will not contest Amstel Gold, estimating he is still a little young to complete the 3 tests. Once through the Ardennes, Dan should be training before beginning again in Dauphiné Libéré, a race which would owe him to get form for a first start at the Tour de France. Comments (0)
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12 February |
A cold, crazy stage!Tour Méditerranéen - Stage 3 Greasque - Six Fours 115km Today was a crazy stage. Between icy (yes actual patches of ice) roads, Valverde and Vinokourov's attack at the start meaning a full gas chase all day and motorcycle marshalls not seeing a leadcar, somehow managing to flip his bike completely while still in the saddle. My day was mostly spent chasing the few points left on offer in the mountains classification to fend off Valverde and hold onto the jersey for another very cold day. Not quite as cold as yesterday, mainly due to sunny skies, the snow lined climbs seemed harder then usual. Seems the cold moves the 'rev limiter' that much lower. But, I really enjoyed my first race of the year spent within the peleton, especially the final 35km or so when all I did was chillout, eat, drink and save energy for what is a challenging day tomorrow. I still haven't decided if I'm really going to go full out to keep this jersey, or try for the stage. Just wait and see how it pans out I guess! Comments (2)
by panache the 2010/02/12
Hi Dan, Great start to the season, you hang in there hold ontothat jersey and have a go on Sunday. All the best
by pol.m the 2010/02/23
Off to a flying start well done. Lots of luck for 2010 pol.m |
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12 February |
cyclingnews.com interviewDan, has completed a short interview with Daniel Benson on cyclingnews.com. Talking about 2009 and how he intends to move forward in 2010. The complete interview can be seen here Comments (0)
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11 February |
-4°C for the breakaway !Tour Méditerranéen - Stage 2 Wow that was cold. The highest temperature all day was standing on the startline in the weak sunshine. Minus 2. And it went down to minus 4 during the stage with a little snow. I decided during yesterdays stage I would try for the break. Easier said then done, but when you have legs like I have now things seem to happen. I basically rode off the front on a climb I knew well from living in the area for 3 years and only Stefano Garzelli (Aqua e Sapone) and Sébastien Turgot (Bbox Bouygues Télécom) could come with me. Comments (0)
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10 February |
Tour Med : A vicious stage !Tour Méditerranéen - Stage 1: Carcassonne - Souvain 95km For the third year running I'm starting the year at Tour Ned, this time with a viscious stage with gale-force winds and the odd snow flake. I thought I was ready for it, but it seems the lack of racing blocked me or something. Everybody else pressed the go button and I got stuck in neutral, being dropped embarassingly quickly. After 5km I started feeling better and ended up doing a 4up TTT for 90km with five passengers sitting back and enjoying the show, lazy gits. All meaning I will indeed be feeling better tomorrow. The form is good, morale very good and I've come here looking for a stage. Maybe losing the time today will enable me to do that before the end of the week. Comments (1)
by Ugly Pugly the 2010/02/13
Good write up Dan - i particularly like the honesty about getting dropped. Watch that cold weather though you ain't built for it - stay healthy and safe. |
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05 February |
velonation.com interviewDan has done a nice comprehensive interview with velonation.com. He talks about past races, future events, his training and more. For the full interview click here. Comments (1)
by daniel the 2010/03/23
hey .. great article in velonation. my brother is designing some cycling training software with your team manager in san francisco. Hope it helps you ..i know ill be eager to try it out for training after you guys polish it up. |
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02 January |
Dan talks about the 2009 seasonBetween two trips (Dan leaves Ireland today to go to England, before leaving for Spain Monday.), Dan took time for the site to give his assessment of the 2009 season, his 2nd in the pro ranks.
dan-martin.org: What have you drawn from this past season?
Dan: To finish the last race off in style at Lombardia obviously sticks in the head as it was the last race. But the big downers I had this year, the sickness at Paris-Nice, then missing the Tour. Although I always put a positive spin on what happened, and in fact believe it worked out for the best in both cases, at the time it was hard. But its the difficult times that mould you as a person and make you stronger so it was very important to have these minor glitches.
dan-martin.org: Are you satisfied of your role in the team, of your programme of races, and your results in general?
Dan: I've come so far in the past year, and so has the team in general. Its really cool to see the team 'grow up' like me. Last year we were the small kids of the peleton, and now we are becoming major players in every race we ride. I'm earning more and more responsibilty in the team and therefore doing bigger races. Its exciting times.
dan-martin.org: In which areas do you feel you have progressed most?
Dan: I'm not really sure. The big difference is how much better I cope with the distances of the races. I showed at both Plouay and then Lombardia that I can race 240km now, and to make that step after only 1 season of doing races over 200km is promising for the future.
dan-martin.org: With which riders do you have the best relationship in your team?
Dan: The Vuelta was a great experience as you spend so much time with your team mates that you build long lasting bonds. Same goes for the whole season. I spent a lot of the season racing with Svein and Timmy, and sharing a room with Christian Meier but seriously, I really enjoy spending time with everyone in the team. They're all great guys, and it was also good to meet the new riders on the team for 2010, who will definately fit right into the family atmosphere.
dan-martin.org: You have just extended your contract with Garmin-Transitions to 2012, what justified your decision?
Dan: I'm having fun here. Obviously there's always speculation in the media but at this moment in time I can't see myself in any other team. I've come so far with this team, and I truly feel that with the help of team, especially with Transitions now on as a sponsor, it shows this team is moving forward. Its also nice to have that security behind me, so now I can get on and concentrate on racing for the next 3 years.
dan-martin.org: What do you think of the departure of Bradley Wiggins to Team Sky? And in the way in which his departure was manufactured, a little like the made-to-order transfers in football?
Dan: Brad was a great guy to have in the team. A really good guy to raise the mood at the dinner table, make you smile, and obviously an incredible cyclist so of course I'm sad to not have him in the team next year. But I think the way It has happened does highlight a flaw in the system. Of course there will be pros and cons, but a transfer system might lead to longer contracts, more job security as teams wouldn't dare letting contracts run out, and risk losing riders on a 'free transfer'. Yes it would mean that the lower budget teams would be at a disadvantage, but they are already, and at least it would make situations like with Brad much easier to finalise and therefore less confusion for the fans.
dan-martin.org: What is your race programme for 2010?
Dan: We discussed a rough programme of races but a lot depends on the parcours of different races. March is incredibly congested now so I have to chose between Paris-Nice and Catalunya. But, normally I will be starting the year at Tour Med and Tour Haut Var. Then a build up to the Ardennes classics.
dan-martin.org: What are your objectives and the races you intend to target?
Dan: At the moment I'm just thinking as far as the ardennes. You never know how good your going to be at the start of the year, so I'm just going to enjoy racing, try and build for Fleche Wallone and Liege. Liege might be a bit long still at 270km, but I definately have a good Fleche in me.
dan-martin.org: How did the training camp go in early December? Also, your winter in general?
Dan: The camp went well. We did a reasonable amount of riding, and met the new guys but it was all very low key, low stress. It was more for the new riders and staff to meet the other staff members. It just so happened that I was in Girona and so went along to a few meetings. The winter has gone well though. I haven't been ill at all, and have felt great on the bike. Very relaxed though. Have just been enjoying riding although it has been quite cold in Girona. Time has flown, and I can't believe its only 2 weeks till our training camp in Kalpe, Spain! Comments (0)
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30 December |
Interview - What Dan gets up to off the bike.dan-martin.org: Hi Dan, so lets talk about your background. I guess the first question I should ask is what did you enjoy doing in and out of school?
DM: It was always cycling with my dad racing. Watching it on TV, reading about it in magazines, it was drilled in from a young age. At school, I saw it as a competition to be the best, and I usually was. But, it was due to hard work, and I saw exams as a competition to be top. I guess history and languages were my favourites. Languages came naturally (if only it did to everyone ED), could learn them quickly. History I’d say was due to a retentive memory and I found it interesting. I did not really try sports but I did watch a lot on TV, played a bit of football on the playground though.
dan-martin.org: What was it that got you into cycling, and how did it feel when you began riding on open roads?
DM: I had no pressure from my Dad but about 13 years old I got on a road bike and bounced straight back of with the clipless pedals and then waited about a year till I rode one again. I used to ride a mountain bike mostly to school with friends. When I started to train for cycling it created a passion for the sport and I began racing at 15 or 16. I mainly rode social café group rides with friends at weekends.
dan-martin.org: As a youngster was there anyone you looked up to?
DM: Not really, I don’t like to see people as heroes; it helps when I’m racing and I can just attack them in races rather than see them as people I looked up to. I mean when I attacked Valverde in Catalunya, I just saw him as another racer.
dan-martin.org: Some more questions then on your favourite things outside of sport.
DM: Place – Girona, its my home now, a lovely place, and Dublin as my parents live there and the atmosphere is great. Food – Chinese takeaway, but I do love a bacon sandwich or fish and chips when back home. Drink – Coffee though I don’t drink much, and a good cold can of coke. Music – At the moment its dance on my iPod, but it changes. Author – Me in my column. Haha! Website – Skysports for the football news and TopGear’s site. Room in house – Living room for watching TV and playing video games. Sport – Moto GP and Football but enjoy watching all sports really. TV Show – Top Gear, The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den. Phrase – No worries!
dan-martin.org: So do you have any bad habits to speak of?
DM: I pick my nose and flick ‘em, or wipe on a bit of tissue. I’m also a bit of a control freak in the kitchen as I want to know whats being cooked!
dan-martin.org: Finally, I believe you share your apartment with Phil Deignan, what is he like to live with?
DM: Phil has a knack of persuading me to go for an ice-cream. He also goes and trains too hard though.
dan-martin.org: Cheers for your time, Dan. Speak soon.
Comments (1)
by Gill L the 2010/01/11
Great interview Dan, good luck for the coming season. |
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24 October |
Giro presentation 2010!I'm in a taxi right now going to Barcelona airport to travel over to Milan for the unveiling of the route for next years tour of Italy. Yet another new experience and kind of exciting as a race I could well be doing next year! Hell of a lot of travelling though but I will be happy to fly back to Girona tonight and go have fun at the 9 day party that is the fete of St. Narcis, the patron saint of Girona, which I've heard provokes what in other countries would be described as a big fight involving fire, or in Spain, a huge party. All I can say is that I definitely heard it last night, the first night of celebrations as I tried to get to sleep. 7am taxis are never fun! Its really quite chilly too. Girona winters are like that. Cold at night, but warm under the sun in the daytime. A desert climate I guess. Weather depending I may even go for a ride tomorrow. I finished at Lombardia last week, obviously on a high and feeling positively spritely, meaning I'm just going enjoy myself this off season. If I want to ride, I will most certainly ride. Just not too much! Comments (0)
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19 October |
"Encouraging signs for Martin in Lombardy"After Dan's excellent ride in the Tour of Lombardy, cyclingnews.com has written a short piece on Dan this morning. You can view it here. In the article, Dan talks about his race, the course and more. Dan's certainly finished his season on a high. Stayed tuned for more articles and features from Dan during the winter months.
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16 October |
Wow its gone quick!Last race of the year already. Wow its gone quick! An up and down, rollercoaster kind of like course tomorrow. I haven't actually done the whole course before as I abandoned at the first feed zone which is at km110. But having ridden the final 50km, with friend Daryl Impey 2 weeks ago, I have a good idea of the important parts. The climbs are hard, the descents narrow and twisty, dangerous even! Well it depends how fast you go I guess, but to win you always have to take risks and as its the last race, and a monument at that, the stakes are high enough to really push the limits. The forms good and I've had great prep although the throat has been a bit sore all day. Just nerves maybe? I pulled out at the first feed yesterday after 90km which worked well as I got a good bit of speed work without too much fatigue. Damn it was cold though, 4 degrees at the start. Expecting the same tomorrow. We will have to start under a big pile of clothes before gradually peeling off the layers as the sun heats the autumn air, not that its going to get too summery. Highs of 12-13 degrees are just below pleasant in my book, but at least we are promised blue skies. Nice way to finish the season. I'm just hoping that I can finish tomorrow with no problems having given my best. No excuses in other words and hopefully I will have the legs to be racing come the final 2 climbs, not just being a spectator. Comments (1)
by Ugly Pugly the 2009/10/17
I enjoyed being just a spectator and you had the legs, big time. Great finish to the season - also really re-assuring that you didn't get ill after the Vuelta. It looks as though you've cracked it. |
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09 October |
In London for the Cycle ShowWell here I am, sitting in Bistro Benito eating a pathetic meal at 10:30 on a wet and cold October night in Kensington. I'm in London overnight to attend the cycle show at earls court, and hopefully will have the opportunity to meet some of you tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to it. Really I am.
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03 October |
London Cycle ShowDan will be at the London Cycle Show on Saturday 10 October. You can chat with him on the Garmin stand from 2.15pm to 3.00pm. For more details on the show, see http://www.cycleshow.co.uk Comments (0)
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26 September |
Ready for the World ChampionshipsSo here I am sitting on my bed, waiting to go eat the shit out of a buffet dinner in prep for what is sure to be one of the hardest world championships for years. Watching the espoirs finish in pieces today made the circuit seem really quite difficult. And we have another five laps on top of that. Truly epic!
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24 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 21So to the final stage of a punishing three week tour in weather conditions from the ridiculous in Holland and Belgium to the sublime in Spain, with almost every other condition in between. But that never made for poor racing, in fact it tended to be quite the opposite, which as now seems to be tradition in every grand tour provided those watching on the streets of Madrid a long tortuous wait for the peloton to arrive, before the 6 lap bash around the city criterium course took full effect with speed and power.
The usual breakaway came and went with six hares going with 5 laps remaining, before being caught in the last lap. This led to a bunch sprint though due to the nature of racing over the three weeks, and some who may have been saving themselves for the Worlds this weekend, deciding to sit back and let the sprinters go for it. Andre Greipel was the best of these overall and managed to take his fourth stage win of this years Vuelta, once again showing Columbia-HTC's strength in the sprinting department, and not long after Alejandro Valverde crossed the line to take his first Grand Tour victory in his home tour.
A short time after this Dan Martin crossed the line, tired but no doubt delighted with completing his first three week race at the first attempt. Especially having been part of the prominent break on stage 19 to La Granja de Cristales, showing that he may have some form heading into the Elite Road Race in Mendrisio. Dan, and a number of those finishing all ended up racing to Madrid's Barajas airport to catch a flight to Switzerland in order to get prepared for the week ahead. After the last three weeks, however, like every other experience Dan has had, it will be interesting to see how he uses it to build on his growing reputation in the sport. Comments (0)
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18 September |
Break Time!!!Today was my last chance to get in a break, but of course it was also everyone else’s so I thought I was going to be really hard to pick the right move. As it turned out, everyone is tired. Like, really tired. A big group with Martijn in went straight away at km 0 but Liquigas and Vacansoleil brought it back. Then on the off chance I attacked. Was caught by a Vorganov from Xacobeo, and then we bridged up to Riblon from ag2r and that was it. Well it wasn't that easy. We had to do 10km in under 10 minutes on the tailwind, winding roads to make the gap, but eventually the elastic snapped and I had my companions for the day. The legs yesterday were horrible. I was praying for the finish all day. Every pedal stroke hurt too, which I was informed is normal after 3 weeks of hard racing. Not so it seems as today, I was good and once I made the break I honestly believed I had a chance at the stage. I just wanted a couple of minutes advance at the bottom of the last climb, and maybe I would be able to hold on. Its my first experience of riding in a break like this. You have to realise that it doesn't matter how hard you ride, the peloton will only give you a predetermined length of leash. Today that was 6:45. Not enough in other words. Especially when Liquigas decided to try and drop Gesink on the penultimate climb, which they succeeded in doing and so our fate was decided. We lasted out there until about 35km to go. When the heavy rain started. It was freezing cold. 5 degrees on top of the last climb. Not pleasant when we dressed for the blue sky we began the stage under. I persisted on the climb for a bit, staying with the suffering Gesink and his group for a while. Then I just rode to the finish, the blood drained from my legs it was so damn cold. I even stopped on the descent to let some air out of my dry pressure tyres. I don't think I have ever descended so slowly. No risks at all. I began this Vuelta with a crash, I didn't want to crash on the final descent. Just have to negotiate the criterium in Madrid now. Comments (2)
by Owen Ball the 2009/09/19
Well done Dan, impressive show for your first Grand Tour! Looking forward to the Worlds now?
by Owen Ball the 2009/09/19
Good luck in the Worlds! |
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15 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 16Been a busy few days here in Spain. We have ascertained as a team that we are getting the flick or in other words being totally shafted on the hotel front. Comments (1)
by mhgregor the 2009/09/16
Great to hear what it's like on the inside and how you're hanging on in there...I'm sure you'll get a lucky break and get in the break soon! |
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11 September |
Cyclingnews.com InterviewCyclingnews.com's Shane Stokes caught up with Dan and discussed the Vuelta so far as well as the outlook for the coming days, both for Dan and for the Garmin-Slipstream team. "It is a new experience for me, doing so many 200-kilometre, six-hour stages in a row. I’ve never done that before. It is all unknown territory…In fact, I’ve pretty much never had a rest day before, so it is all new" says Dan. Dan's team has won a stage with Tyler Farrar and Tom Danielson sits in fourth overall on the morning of the 12th stage. To read the full interview, click here. Comments (0)
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09 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 11Wow that was a fast day, but super satisfying to get the win with Tyler. The first 35km was very fast with breaks going left and right. 53kph average for that bit, when we hit the climb. Comments (0)
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08 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stages 8 and 9 catch up.The Vuelta finally hit the terrain where only the toughest survive on Stages 8 and 9, and it proved to be the case with the leaders jersey changing hands on each stage. Firstly on the stage from Alzira to Alto de Aitana, Cadel Evans took the race lead from Fabian Cancellara who took the Gold Jersey only the day before after another terrific time trial in Valencia.
As the breakaway riders started the Aitana, including former mountains jersey winner David Moncoutie, they had a near 4 minute gap on the reduced peloton. With Caisse d'Epargne leading for Alejandro Valverde the break looked doomed but Moncoutie and breakaway specialist Hoogerland both left their companions to battle out for victory. As the fastly shrinking peloton closed in, Moncoutie struck for home but was caught by an attack from Damiano Cunego who left the other favourites floundering to take the win. Evans, Valverde and Sanchez all coming in together behind Moncoutie and a late sprint by Robert Gesink. Dan Martin put in a terrific ride after a difficult day in the scary time trial to finish 14th and help Tom Danielson to stay close to the favourites.
Then today, and with a profile more resemblant to the jaw line of a crocodile from race leader Cadel Evans home country, the favourites attacked each other again even though the stage finish was in Xorret de Cati at the bottom of the final climb of the day. Pain was the order for the whole peloton with attacks from the start in Alcoy including Gustavo Cesar Veloso and Stijn Devolder. They all stayed clear till the final climb of the Alto de Xorret de Cati with pitches of up to 25% and many stretches over 15% on the climb. With attacks in both the peloton and the break, only Cesar Veloso could stay away to take the win from Marzano who survived just in front of Valverde, whose second advantage over Evans as well as eight bonus seconds for finishing third gave him the overall lead. Dan Martin again worked to help Tom Danielson keep with the leaders and came home in a respectable 51st place just 3 minutes 34 down on Cesar Veloso to end up 33rd overall, 10 minutes and 4 seconds behind Valverde. Comments (0)
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07 September |
12hrs, 8200m climbing, 400km, and just 2 days!!!12hrs, 8200m climbing, 400km, and just 2 days later I find myself driving back to the hotel pretty damn tired. Yesterday was good. Well apart from the fact I went flat out for the first 40km attacking constantly to get in the break, without success, then lost my glasses. But, the result was pleasing and gave me confidence. My form is excellent and I woke up this morning feeling good. Tired but that's to be expected. The race felt good too. I was comfortable all day, and my team placed me and Tom perfectly at the bottom of the last climb. Well I should probably call it a wall. Why on earth they feel the need to make roads that steep is beyond me. Especially when it didn't actually go anywhere. It almost as though they made the road especially to cause pain to any cyclist brave enough to take on the challenge. I was doing 8kph at 1 point. It took forever. There was a 2km section with gradients of 20-25% with a few metres of glorious 15% to act as respite. On climbs like that you either have it or you don't. I just couldn't push the pedals. I was barely breathing hard, just riding up, a battle for survival, to arrive at the top. Climbs like that are all about strength. Strength comes with age. And kilometres! I was talking to David after the finish, he just keeps reminding me that this is my first grand tour, in my second year as a pro. He's good for me. Keeps me realistic. But its definitely exciting we now have a real podium contender in Tom. Comments (0)
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05 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 7That was crazy. I was actually scared on the bike. It hasn't rained for three months in Valencia. Well until today.
I just never felt in control of my bike and was inching round the corners. Felt fast in a straight line and could visibly see myself taking time out of my minute man but would lose all of that and more when I got to a corner. I just desperately didn't want to crash again today, especially after finally beginning to feel good again. It has taken me till yesterday to feel like my old self on a bike and I wasn't about to undo all the work from my team masseurs, physios and doctors with the first big mountain just around the corner. I'm excited to see how I fare. Just hope the rain doesn't hang around over night as tomorrow's up and down, twisty parcours would be a nightmare in these glacial conditions.
Comments (2)
by PsychoSteve the 2009/09/06
I like the website design - very professional. Keep upright and good luck in the mountains Dan. Steve Harland CCGiro
by Gill L the 2009/09/07
Keep playing Dan,Stage 8 was a great result, we're all rooting for you. xx |
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04 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 5With the race back in Spain, temperatures were in the high 30s. The stage was animated by a breakaway with Julian Sanchez Pimienta (Contentpolis-Ampo), Aitor Hernandez Gutierrez (Euskaltel), José Antonio Lopez Gil (Andalucía), Julien El Fares (Cofidis), Matthé Pronk (Vacansoleil) and Serafin Martinez (Xacobeo Galicia) but inevitably they were caught as several teams had an interest in a bunch sprint, including Dan's Garmin-Slipsteam squad with in-form Farrar. Silence-Lotto's Gilbert tried a late attack but the hill used for his springboard was too far from the finish and in the final straight Andre Greipel jumped past Tom Boonen to take the stage win and the golden jersey too.
Results
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by Paul Martin the 2009/09/04
Had a bit of a worry that Dan wasn't on the initial results - but understand a faulty transponder was to blame - not surprising really, with all the wet and bashing it's received. Good luck for the rest of the tour. |
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02 September |
Vuelta Rest DayI have to keep this brief as the karaoke night at the hotel starts in 15 minutes. Yes we are indeed staying in a bargain basement hotel in Salou, our rest day spent dodging screaming kids running up and down the corridors and enduring quite possibly the worst hotel buffet I have ever experienced. Do people seriously pay for this or is it some kind of punishment? Whatever it is, despite the environment this day has gone way too quickly. A two hour easy ride, that stunning buffet lunch, afternoon nap and more treatment for my injurys.
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01 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 4With arguably the worst weather conditions for any of the stages so far, excluding the brief torrential downpour on Stage 1, the riders must have thought they had travelled back in time to April for a stage that was to resemble an Ardennes Classic. The riders departed from Venlo and headed towards Liege at 11.31am CET with numerous attacks trying and failing for the first half hour before a group of four riders managed to break free and establish a maximum gap of just over 14 minutes before the peloton started to reel them in. With the increase in pace, and terrible road conditions, a number of crashes occurred in both the peloton and rather more surprisingly in the break too. Among those that suffered were Dan Martin, Jose Angel Gomez Marchante, Jakob Fuglsang and Uzbek national champion Sergey Lagutin. Comments (0)
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01 September |
"Maybe the most difficult race in my life"I had a puncture 11km to go then I was chasing behind the cars when a big crash blocked all the road. Without this crash I'd probably have lost a minute but we needed to stop and wait. Anyway it was better than being involved in the crash so I'm maybe lucky! It was a horrible day. Maybe the most difficult race in my life. Six guys in our team crashed. Comments (1)
by Sean Mc the 2009/09/02
Best of the luck for the next two weeks |
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01 September |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 3Greg Henderson of Team Columbia-HTC won today’s stage from Zutphen to Venlo beat Borut Bozic and Oscar Friere to the line in a messy finish. The stage began with another early breakaway of three riders, Lars Boom (Rabobank), Jonny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) and Jesus Rosendo Prado (Andalucia-Cajasur) who rode the majority of the stage out front before a solo attempt by Rosendo Prado was reeled in with 10km to go. Comments (0)
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30 August |
"An incredible experience"What a horrible day. Well 2 days. I'm going to have to be quick before I fall asleep so just a quick note. Yesterday was an incredible experience. To just be at the circuit with the grandstands packed, and see the queues of cars and fans trying to get in was truly incredible. Then I crashed at turn 3. Nothing serious though. Bit of bark lost and didn't even lose much time so could have been much worse. Comments (0)
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30 August |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 2The third longest stage of the Vuelta was held today between Assen and Emmen over a flat 202km course. The weather started cool and wet but dried up quickly helping to keep crashes to a minimum. Overall, the day was one for the sprinters and Gerald Ciolek (Milram) was the fastest man at the finish crossing the line in front of Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas) and Roger Hammond (Cervelo). Fabian Cancellara holds onto the leaders jersey by 8 seconds from Ciolek who has moved up to second place.
Update: It was decided that the time losses suffered by riders yesterday will stand, as the problems were caused just outside the 3km mark, and some were due to riders unable to hang on, therefore all times stand. Comments (0)
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29 August |
Dan has minor crash in Vuelta stage warm up.30 minutes prior to the start of today's opening stage, Dan had a minor crash with his front wheel falling away from under him. This caused a minor knee injury, but nothing that will cause a problem during the rest of the race. Comments (0)
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29 August |
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 1Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) has stormed to victory in the short individual time trial around the TT circuit in Assen, Holland where the Vuelta a Espana has started this year. His time of 5:20 was far better than all of his rivals in changeable conditions. Tom Boonen (Quickstep) finished second 9 seconds behind with Vattenfall Cyclassics winner Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) a further 3 seconds behind in third place. Comments (0)
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28 August |
"On the eve of the Vuelta"So here I am, waiting to be presented at the start of the Vuelta in Holland, in not what you would call Spanish weather. Trained on a wet prologue circuit this morning. It’s going to be an interesting race. It’s so damn windy up here that judging your effort over the distance is going to be really hard. I'm really relaxed going in though. I feel fit, healthy and mentally I have a real wait and see attitude. I have no idea how I'm going to be feeling in 2 weeks time so I don't see the point in making random goals. I'm just going to do my best. Plus Tom D is looking really good so that 1. Takes the pressure off of me, and 2. Could mean I have someone to work for. But again we have no idea how things are going to turn out, and especially with this race starting with a flat windy bit, personally survival till Spain is the goal. We even have a bit of pavé to contend with tomorrow.
Right. So I see pedalo swans and a big stage. Who knows what these people have planned to add some glamour to the event. Seems like a decent crowd have showed up in Assen town centre. The race at the circuit tomorrow will hopefully be the same. Although we have been joking they might need to play MotoGP sounds over the tannoy system to make it more exciting!
Comments (2)
by Diarmuid the 2009/08/28
Best of luck on the Vuelta. Hope I can pick some of it up on French TV
by ann lane the 2009/08/28
hi dan i'm not english,i'm irish and I wish you good luck in the vuelta, please include Irish in the nationalities, also go on twitter, it's brill, ask Philip!!! XXX |
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24 August |
That was an epic day
Final sprint in Plouay : 5th Only now, once I've woken up on Monday morning have I had a chance to write this. Pretty crazy. Finished the race at 5pm, back to the bus by 5:10, quick shower and bite to eat before a rush to the airport to catch a 6:35 flight although it was delayed as it was basically full of cyclists and so they didn't want to leave without the passengers. A 10 minute run across Orly Airport to make the connection and a taxi drive later I was home. Not exactly what I needed after a 240km race but it's nice to be able to enjoy home for a few days.
My form is incredible coming into the Vuelta so I hope I can hang onto it before the hard mountain stages. Comments (1)
by Dan's Dad the 2009/08/24
Wonderful ride , Dan! Super-star stuff. |
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20 August |
Tour du Limousin stage 2 and 3Bit of a scoop here. My Tour du Limousin has finished. No disrespect to the race, but it’s horrible and I have hated pretty much every minute of it, so in order to be good on Sunday at the GP Plouay, well I’m not going to start tomorrow. That was always the plan, with the Vuelta next week. I have been stunned by how hard this race has been. In fact its just like an amateur race, with 'everyman for themselves' tactics. Teams don’t seem to work together, chasing each other down, resulting in endless days of attacking racing, which on these narrow, twisting, rolling, heavy roads quickly becomes very tiresome. But the change in style has done me good. I can feel the improvement already, my body adapting to the constant sprinting up and down hills, something impossible to replicate in training. I can only come out of this stronger, and it will definitely add to the form for the Vuelta. So as I write this I have just enjoyed a birthday evening meal with my great team mates. Yes the time spent at the dinner table chatting and joking definitely eats into the recovery time, but it shows the team spirit we have, the fact we enjoy each others company so much. I’m tired now, but content this mini camp is finished and now i can focus on racing hard on Sunday. Comments (1)
by Dad the 2009/08/21
Ever the Professional, Dan!Good call, all he best for Gp Plouay. |
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19 August |
Tour du Limousin stage 1So, I'm on the bus travelling to the start of Stage 2 of the Tour du Limousin.
Yesterday was a bit of a shock. The race was a hell of a lot harder then I or we expected. In fact it was the highest average power I have ever seen in a race. Just like an amateur race it was constant attacking all day in sweltering conditions.
I messed up a bit and didn't eat or drink enough in the first 2hrs. I still felt good in the end, but decided to take it easy in the final km. There were guys taking crazy risks out there, and no disrespect to the race but I am not here for the general classification. I have much bigger fish to fry in the next few weeks, and for honing the form this race is perfect.
Plus it meant I could finish up with a bit less lactic in the legs. The real aim this week is a stage. I need some good hard attacking style racing to complement all the climbing training I have been doing lately. It hasn't been possible to train too hard in girona as its been dangerously hot.
So as for today. I will see how I feel. It will be a strange race I think as there will be a lot of very tired legs out there, with the temperatures promising to be even higher at 39 degrees its perfect preparation for the Vuelta. But then again, perfect prep would be a morale boosting result so hopefully we get lucky and can have a go. Comments (0)
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18 August |
Tour du Limousin previewDan’s riding this four day stage race in central France. Here is a quick preview of the race. The Region Look at a map of France and put your finger in the middle you’ll be close to the Limousin region in central France. It’s a rural area with some of the lowest population densities in France. The region isn’t famous for much, which is part of the attraction of the place, it is a very calm place. Cycling-wise it’s home to Raymond Poulidor, one of France’s all time best riders. Some roads come close to 1000m above sea level but no higher. Instead the region is infamous for hilly twisting roads where you can struggle to find a flat, straight piece of road.
The Race It starts in the region’s capital city Limoges and then comes back four days later into Limoges. The first two stages are the hilliest, heading east out of Limoges towards the massif central mountain range and up onto the Millevaches plateau. These stages are hilly but not mountainous, terrain for breakaways not climbers. The final stage starts in Châlus, where King Richard I of England, known as the “Lionheart”, died in 1199 before returning to Limoges, once famous for its porcelain industry.
The Riders Dan will be there with his Garmin-Slipstream team of course. His teamates include Killian Patour, Mike Friedman, Will Frischkorn, Chrisitian Meier, Tom Peterson, Timmy Duggan and Jason Donald. As well as the French teams in the race, Garmin-Slipstream are one of the four non French Pro Tour teams in the race, there will be Milram, Rabobank with Robert Gesink and Caisse d’Epargne with Luis-Leon Sanchez. The last three winners are Sébastien Hinault, Pierrick Fedrigo and Leonardo Duque and previous winners include Eric Boyer (Cofidis DS today) Marc Madiot (FdJ DS), Charly Mottet and Bernard Hinault.
For further information on the race visit http://www.tourdulimousin.com and during each stage their will be a live ticker via DirectVélo so you can follow Dan’s riding in real time.
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18 August |
Article from bikeradar.com (2008/12/15) Comments (0)
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18 August |
No Worries! Life as a professional cyclist.
DAN WINS TOUR OF POLAND !! By David Dunphy:
I have been fortunate enough to spend some time talking to Dan about life as a professional cyclist, and his rise up the ranks to the ProTour level. Here, I ask him about how he got into racing, and what life is really like for a professional be it racing, training or even spending some time on the beach in the hot sun.
Dave: Hi Dan, how is it going?
Dan: Not bad had a training ride today around Girona but it’s been really hot here in the mid 40°C.
Dave: Alright for some I guess, especially compared to the weather here. So thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. I guess the first question I have for you today would be when did you first realise you had what it would take to become a top level professional cyclist?
Dan: Well I never knew what level I would get to. To start with I always went to every race with ambitions and I have always known what to do in race situations. Somehow I have a natural tactical noose. I was always a fan or aggressive riders, guys who like to attack. From an early age I was never afraid to risk losing a race if there was the possibility of winning, its something that comes naturally to me, and lead to my attacks at route de sud and this year volta catalunya, both which didn’t turn out too badly. Haha!
Dave: How did you go about becoming a professional then?
Dan: I always enjoyed riding. Cycling was a hobby for me. Something I did with friends, but even when it was purely a social occasion, I somehow knew I would be a professional cyclist. There was a clear map set out in my head very early in my life, before I had even clipped into my first pedals. And so far it seems to have worked out.
Dave: Talking of enjoyment, after training rides or in downtime after a race, what would you do in your free time, and how much free time do you get to have?
Dan: I’d say it is difficult to put a figure on the amount of free time I get as I would probably average 10 days of racing a month, then after that training pretty much takes up the rest. Other than that most of my free time is based around recovery. I go to the beach sometimes as it is a 30 minute drive from my apartment, I go over to the Irish bar and have a couple of coffees and watch the world go by, or I take some time and walk around Girona and eat out now and again.
Dave: Sounds like it’s a good lifestyle you have out there. As a professional cyclist what would you say are the best and worst things about your work?
Dan: The best is definitely riding a bike and getting paid for it, being with a group of guys at races is always fun especially when your team just click together as you don’t want the race to end, you know with say for instance the good atmosphere around the dinner table. On the other hand, when you are peering out of the team bus with the proposition of 5hrs in the lashing rain, knowing that you will be blinded by the spray from all the other guys in the peleton then that has to be the worst thing about being a professional.
Dave: Who are the guys then that you get on with the most in the peloton? Is there anyone you don’t?
Dan: I would not say there is anyone I don’t get on with, but of course i don’t get a chance to talk to everyone. Its always nice to race with my cousin Nicolas Roche and Phil Deignan. Also there are a few guys I know from my time in Marseille who I basically grew up with and obviously spent a lot of time with racing in the amateur ranks.
Dave: Moving onto the year so far, what is your best memory?
Dan: Got to say it was attacking in the Fleche Wallone, it is one of my favourite one-day races, and one of my first after a short spell off the bike, so knowing I could be competitive in a Pro Tour level race when I attacked on the Cote d’Ahin with about 10km to go and realising how well I was going was good. Especially when you see all of the cars and motorcycles in front of you and almost creating a wall, it was great. Though I have to say my best memory would be the Irish Nationals last year and winning the National Road Race was certainly the most special for me so far.
Dave: From a racing viewpoint what is left for you in 2009?
Dan: Well the big one for me is my first Grand Tour at the Vuelta, but before then is the Tour du Limousin, after I guess I’ll be doing the World Championships for sure and finish off with Lombardy which is actually a good race for me although October sometimes feels like winter.
Dave: Have you got any goals for the Vuelta then?
Dan: I’m going to start with the aim of doing the best i can in the General Classification and hope that my body reacts well to three weeks of racing. I am also going to use it to gain further experience as a team leader too. It will help that the likes of David Millar will be around on the team for advice and also for the help they can provide in the race.
Dave: Looking forward to 2010, what is in the pipeline for Dan Martin?
Dan: Well I have a contract with Garmin through 2010, and even if I didn’t it is a team I would want to sign up with again because I enjoy the atmosphere so much. Racing wise maybe Paris-Nice, or the Volta y Catalunya, Fleche Wallone, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and be competitive at both. Hopefully I’d do well to start the Tour de France this time too. But, that will be sorted out at the team camp at the end of the year.
Dave: So the rumours of you moving to Team Sky have been in fact just rumours?
Dan: That’s right. I have not spoken to them.
Dave: What are your plans over the weekend then?
Dan: Couple of training rides and recover before an early morning taxi, on Monday, with some of the guys to Perpignan to catch a train to Limoges for the race Tour de Limousin.
Dave: Finally, some quick-fire questions on your favourite cycling items.
Stage Race – Tour of Catalonia as it’s my home race now. One Day – Liege-Bastogne-Liege Team Mate in career so far – Christian Meier as he is Mr. Consistent, Mr reliable always there doing the work when you need it. Hotel – One we stayed in when we were in Lloret de Mar this year for Catalonia. The worst though is the Campanile chain simply because of the food, beds are good though. First choice in your musette bag – Can of Coca-Cola Weather conditions – Hot and Sunny Training rides – Around Girona and Olot, also one I had before the start of the Tour de France when David Millar, Dave Zabriskie, Danny Pate and I rode the stage to Arcalis. Bike – Felt F1 SL, it is so light when riding it!
Dave: Thats all the questions I have for today Dan, thank you for your time, and good luck in the Tour du Limousin, take care.
Dan: No worries! You have a good weekend. Bye.
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17 August |
Welcome!Welcome to Dan Martin’s website. Here you can keep up to date with Dan, his racing, his training and more. Some cyclists have personal websites but we’re aiming for something different here, the site is going to include lots of wide-ranging content that will be updated regularly, you can come back each time to read something new, whether from Dan himself, the site’s online contributors or guest writers, both in English and in French. Expect comments from Dan when he’s racing, news when he’s training and a whole lot more, from race previews to features about his team and life as a pro cyclist in general. Comments (0)
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01 February |
Ready to go... Nearly
Hello from Silver City, New Mexico. I've been at altitude with my team for over two weeks now. We are staying at about 1800m but thats the lowest point around. its pretty incredible with climbs going up to about 2700m. The air is so clean here and the sun has shone meaning loads of quality training! I'm feeling quite fit now, especially for february so my first race at Tour Med will be interesting. I think i can have fun there, and of course the TTT on the first day is a big aim for the team. It will probably hurt me alot but to get on the podium the first day of the season would be nice. So heres a photo of me in my new national champs get up. The jersey and bike look unreal. Infact the photo doesnt really show up how cool it is. Being in bright green also means i will be easy to spot in the peleton this year ! Comments (0)
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18 January |
Wild Wild WestWell im at altitude in the middle of a desert. Its dry, sunny and with not much else to do but train it is actually quite perfect for a camp. So dar it's been alot of fun being back with the guys in the team. I'm suffering today though, being the 3rd day on camp, my body has basically shut down into transition mode, realising it will have to survive on the limited oxygen being at 1900m altitude provides. I adoubt the 8hrs time difference and 2 days travelling have helped, but ive been reassure i will feel fine eithe tomorrow or monday so its just an excuse to take it easy training wise. Comments (0)
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18 December |
Attempt at Blog
Well quite frankly i am useless at technology so this could well prove a pathetic attempt at a blog entry, and so if it appears as news, bear with me. Although it could definately be seen as news, the good news that I have updated something on the site. in the thick of winter training now, and its been alot of fun here in the sun of northern spain. cold and slightly wet at points, but mostly clear blue skies. 3 sessions a week in the gym have kept me fresh mentally but earnt me a fitness that i have never experienced in mid december. looking forward to next season for sure.
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07 September |
Welcome !
Dan Martin, professional cyclist with team Garmin is pleased to announce the launching of his official site www.dan-martin.org on 7th September 2009.
This site allows you to follow his sporting career and find information on his progress since starting cycling in 2001. The launching of this site coincides with the Tour of Britain. This will be Dan’s first participation in the national tour of the country where he was born. For the occasion he will be wearing the colors of the Irish National Champion. The team of www.dan-martin.org would like to thank everyone in advance for sending in photos, videos, and texts. Your participation and contributions help make the site for this young and talented rider exciting and dynamic. Comments (0)
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Author : 
HEADLINE
Dan triumphs again!
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