‘Heart-on-his-sleeve’ Martin earns French fans’ admiration

By Luke Maguire

As the dust settles on the 105th Tour de France another chapter closes on a golden summer of sport. From the 176 who started, 145 brave souls made it through to Paris. Over the three weeks there were many broken bones, several fractured egos and a few new champions. Among all the madness was one Irishman — Dan Martin.

Martin’s Tour couldn’t have started any better - a stage win on day six to the Mur-de-Bretagne sent warning signs to his rivals that he was in good shape and set him up well for a possible podium place. This hope was de-railed two days later in a crash which saw him lose over a minute and put him on the back foot both mentally and physically.

While other riders cracked and pulled out (2017 runner-up Rigoberto Urán went home after a crash on stage nine), a stubborn Martin made no excuses and vowed to fight on and take the race by the horns. Being a nephew of Stephen Roche, quitting is not in his DNA and whenever the road pointed skyward the featherweight climber was on the attack. Little did he know that a few weeks later he would be duly rewarded for his persistence. While he finished a highly respectable eighth overall, 9’05 behind winner Geraint Thomas, it is the aggressive racing style that really marked his Tour.

Throughout the international media, Martin was commended for his attacking style and panache.

On the second last day of the race it was revealed that Martin would be awarded the grand prize for the most aggressive rider over the three weeks and was presented with a trophy along with a cheque for €20,000 on the Champs-Élysées.

The French fans admire him — he races with his heart on his sleeve and that’s what people want to see” praised French sports newspaper l’Equipe. “Far removed from the calculated style of Team Sky, Martin is a breath of fresh air — always attacking and animating the race.

Not too keen to dwell on what could have been, Martin was just enjoying the moment.

“It was an amazing place to be. Paris is a magical place to be at the best of times, and to race here with the Arc de Triomphe in the background and the Champs-Élysées in front of us is surreal.

“It’s all just starting to sink in now. It’s always special finishing the Tour, but even more so this year. I have really enjoyed this year’s race and I’m a bit gutted it’s over. So now I am just looking forward to next year even more.”

Martin acknowledges the home support on the roads throughout France was a huge confidence booster.

The reception from the fans this year was unbelievable. There was an Irish flag on every hill and it gives you goosebumps to hear people cheering for you. To have that kind of support really spurred me on.

Now 31, Martin knows there is a limited window left for him to seriously challenge for a top-three spot in a Tour de France. He is no longer the up and coming underdog, but instead an exclusive member of a small club of gifted riders who can perform at the highest level for three weeks.

“I race the way I race and I still think a podium is possible. I just need to piece that perfect performance together.

“It isn’t all about bad luck, it’s about being in the right place at the right time and I think you make your own good luck a lot of the time.”

What remains certain is that he will return next year, more experienced and eager to attack from the front.

“You learn every year you ride the Tour and I’ll take those lessons to next year because I want to end up standing on that podium on merit.”