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RBA FEATURES: IRELAND RISING: DAN MARTIN INTERVIEW
Philip Booth
June 17, 2009
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(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Dan Martin of the Garmin-Slipstream team has wasted no time in making his mark on the European peloton. In his first year as a professional, he won the Irish National Road Race Championships with an impressive display of aggression. Then he followed up his National title by giving perennial French Tour de France contender Christophe Moreau a lesson in attacking and took the Route du Sud in late June. Going into his second year as a professional and still only 22 years old, Martin sat down with Road Bike Action to talk about his aggressive racing style, the comparisons to his uncle Stephen Roche and, surprisingly, what he doesn’t have planned for the future.
Road Bike Action: You are Stephen Roche’s nephew. With victory in the Route Du Sud and the Irish road race championships, you have been branded the next Roche. How does that affect your racing?
Dan Martin: It is hard to get away from. Ireland is such a small country with a population of three or four million and right now we have three really talented young riders, myself, my cousin Nicolas Roche, who got 14th in the Vuelta this year, and we also have Philip Deignan who has had a couple years with injuries and sickness but is still only 24. The whole of Irish cycling is really strong right now. That takes some of the pressure off of me, but the whole world of cycling is calling me the next Stephen Roche. What Stephen did was incredible, if I could win a tenth of the races he did in my career I will be happy. I am just going to keep enjoying cycling and see what happens. I not going to let the pressure effect me.
RBA: Your results have led many observers to believe that you have potential to do well in the Grand Tours. Will you be riding a Grand Tour this year?
DM: I should be making my Grand Tour debut this year but it is unclear which one. It depends on how the season pans out, how the other guys on the team are riding. Obviously, I need to get stronger and develop more to compete there. The team recognizes that, and they understand I am not going to start winning those kind of races in the next two or three years. This year it will purely be for experience, learning and figuring out how to play a team role in big events.
Stage races have always been a strong point, even when I was a Junior. I have always been able to recover really well and often times my best day in a stage race comes on the last day. I hope that my good recovery will translate into three-week tours. A three-week race compared to a one week is quite a jump, but it has to be done at some point.
 (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
RBA: There has been a lot of interest in you from other teams in Europe; what made you sign with an American team which at the time had no title sponsor?
DM: I signed with the team in a large part due to the passion of Jonathan Vaughters. He seems to share a lot of the same goals as me. It is almost as if he shares my vision of the future as well. There is also the anti-doping policy, and the fact that it is an English-speaking team as well. But really it was Jonathan Vaughters; he was the first team manager to show interest in me. When I turned professional in 2008 I didn’t forget he was the first and the passion he had for the team. He is really the force behind the team and that is what makes the team a success.
RBA: You mentioned the anti-doping program, and being in an American team, what is your take on Armstrong’s return and the controversy surrounding it?
DM: As a team I’m not sure how much it affects us. For me personally I grew up watching Lance on the television. I was thinking about it the other day, and I think I was at the side of the road in France every time he won the Tour, so obviously it would be exciting to race with him. But when you get on the start line he’s just another guy with a number on his back, and although he might drag in publicity and media attention, which will change the experience, for me a race is a race, so I can’t see it affecting me on the road.
RBA: So are you excited to race against Armstrong; is there anyone you grew up idolizing?
DM: I never really idolized anyone as far as a cyclist goes. I never gave them hero status, because I knew I would race with these guys some day. There are guys whom I like the way they race. They are aggressive and that affects the way I race. I admire racing styles but as far as idolizing individual riders—no.
 (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
RBA: Speaking of being aggressive, you were extremely aggressive at Irish Road Race Championships and the Route du Sud.
DM: I was in a break from a long way out. The break started at kilometer five, and the peloton was just going stop…start, stop…start, so it was actually easier to be riding tempo in the break. Once in the break it was just like doing a training ride. I looked around and everyone in the break seemed tired, so I attacked again. I have lost more races than I have won with that style, but I had the best legs of my career that day, so it made sense to go out and ride aggressively. Like I said, at the start line he is just another guy with a number on his back. If you have good legs you have to be aggressive. I started to get a reputation as an amateur and people like that style. At the Route du Sud I wasn’t afraid to attack Christophe Moreau on the final climb. He is one the greatest French riders of the last generation. It’s natural to attack. It’s not like I thought, crap, that’s Christophe Moreau, it’s just natural to attack.
RBA: What are you looking to accomplish in the next few years?
DM: I don’t look that far ahead, I don’t really have any goals, because I don’t know what I am doing tomorrow. I try to take life day by day; I have found it to be the best way to do it. I look forward to races and prepare for races, and the I just go into races and try to do my best. The team recognizes that and knows that even if I’m having a really bad day that I will give 100 percent.
RBA: Within the Garmin-Chipotle team you have a wide mix of riders from Classic riders, Grand Tour contenders to Time Trial specialists. How is this mix effecting your development as a rider?
DM: It’s a special team in that everyone works together. Everyone is pushing toward a common goal. Those guys have seen that I have come along pretty quick and they are all open to helping me. David [Millar] is always there for advice; he is very open, very talkative. They are supportive as well. I’m figuring out that I have—if I have any problems—I have five to ten guys that have been there before. That gives me a lot of confidence going into a grand tour where I don’t know what the team will be, but we have guys that have numerous tours in their legs and they have been in every position imaginable. It is great to have guys with that kind of experience on the team, especially for the young guys. |
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