[ad_1]
A map of the Tour de France 2018 is placed in front of Dan Martin, and he begins to put his finger on it, slowly at first, then more regularly.
From the Great Departure of the Island of Noirmoutier, a Breton quartet, a foretaste of the hell of the North, then the Alps, with in particular a defining potential of the Alpe d'Or. Huez, in a stronghold of the Carcbadonne circuit, followed by a Pyrenean familiarity, then the spicy finale of a mountain time trial in the Basque Country, including the Pinodieta Pbad with its altitude difference of 22%.
Plus the novelty of the 65 km of Saint-Sébastien -Lary-Soulan on Wednesday, July 25, probably the most intense mountainous stage in the history of the Tour.
At age 31, at his sixth lap, and finishing sixth last year despite a big crash on the 9th stage, Martin begins to approve of an approving sign – especially breaking the tradition by putting the Alps first, then the Pyrenees after. Overall, then, a little different this year?
"I'm happy with that, I'm fine with it because I love the Pyrenees, it's a strange tour, really divided 50-50.You see the first nine days more or less flat. Maybe 20 points of mountain.Then the next six days maybe 260 points.
"You can lose the Tour any day, and that's what makes it so difficult. It is this level of concentration that you must be able to maintain, every day, do not make mistakes and stay focused. And not only on the bike.
"These three days in the Alps, which we have recently seen, are absolutely brutal, and especially the hitting after nine days or two weeks, to ride on flat roads.This transition in the mountains is going to be really, really For everyone, it's going to be a complete war of wear.
Six o'clock
"So look at Alpe d'Huez's scene [175.5km on Thursday, July 19th] That'll be six bike hours. After two days in the mountains before that. And then you really have no break up in Paris. "
Is there not a relief after the Alps?
" Obviously, this stage is flat [Stage 13 on Friday, July 20th] from Bourg d'Oisans to Valence), but that's not a problem. is notorious for side winds. It's a very, very windy area. And then this hilly [Stage 15 into Carcbadonne, on Sunday, July 22nd)] has a big mountain in the last 30 kilometers. So, there is literally no holiday. There is never, never a day in the Tour. But there are days of relaxation.
"Obviously last year in the Tour, the two days after my accident were the easiest days of the Tour, and that allowed me to recover enough not to waste too much time in The Pyrenees This year, there are no days off .. Every day dishes are in the first part, every day of hills in the second part.You could very well see a rollercoaster of. a race, the guys losing time one day, catching it the next day, everyone has a bad day on the lap, it depends on the bad day of who is the least bad. "
In the end, would you describe Do you road it as intimidating, exciting, or how do you think it will suit you?
"I think it suits me, the course is good for me.The last time trial is one of the best time trials I've seen [Saturday, July 28th, the 31km from Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to Espelette] .It's one of the time trial that I saw that suits me the most.But you can not think so far, and take it only day by day. because you could lose it at any time.
"And I think psychologically, it will be the most trying Tour de France for a very, very long time. They are all difficult, but every day is a challenge and a challenge from the start.
"You are on the road book that day [le dimanche 8 juillet à La Roche-sur-Yon] with a lot of crosswind and there is no day when you can have a kind of physical or mental break."
target
After finishing sixth last year, do you think the podium is a real target?
Big Box ticked in my career, but I've never set a date. My goal is to arrive safely in Paris, without obstacles, without luck, and it will probably be the most difficult Tour de France
"Look at the Roubaix scene [Etape 9 le dimanche 15 juillet, 156,5 km de la citadelle d'Arras à Roubaix qui comporte 21,7 km de route pavée dans 15 sections différentes]. If you have a puncture at the wrong time, you could lose 10 minutes. And your race is over just because you had a mechanic. It's the same for everyone.
"I have an incredibly strong team [UAE Emirates] around me this year to protect me from the first part, and if I get to that rest day in Annecy [on the Monday, July 16th] it will not be a relief because then hard work begins, but you will again be in control of your own destiny in some ways. "
Source link
