DAN MARTIN
I hate the word motivation, especially when it is applied to training and racing. It’s a word that pops up quite often when we get towards the back end of the season. As a rider who has enjoyed successful campaigns right up to the end of October some years, perhaps I am an anomaly, but that term motivation is never the key behind that longevity. This might be a job but I race because I love it, and that applies whether it’s February or October.
The atmosphere in races is very different at the end of the year; not nearly as cut-throat as spring. I also used to put that down to motivation but now I believe it’s due to the intensity and length of the season we now have. It’s a vicious cycle. The competitiveness in the early months is greater than ever, then of course we have the huge high of the Tour de France in July. The peloton is mostly exhausted both mentally and physically by the time the leaves begin to fall. Riders finish the year earlier now, some as early as late August or early September. That makes for a long off season and therefore by the time the first races come around, everybody is champing at the bit to rip things to pieces once again, therefore increasing the intensity, tiring everybody out earlier again. I felt this especially in 2016, hitting the year in good condition, winning my first race in fact. Then a strong summer and Tour de France left me running on fumes and my weakest ever performance at Lombardia. In other words my strongest season start resulted in form petering out in the summer.
In all honesty I am not expecting much from the autumn races this year. That dramatic Tour and run of performances in the spring and summer have taken their toll. I have stayed focused and trained well to finish my time with Quick-Step on a high, but whether the body allows that remains to be seen.
My final races with QuickStep will be two of my favourites: Milano-Torino and then Il Lombardia. The course has again changed at Lombardia, back to a very similar route that saw Nibali win in 2015 with the incredibly steep Sormano climb in the route. The climb must be ridden to be believed. I’m not sure why they felt the need to build a road so steep as it has continuous pitches of over 20 per cent for around 2km. I really dislike the dangerous descent that follows, especially in the wet, as it’s narrow and twisting with a lot of fallen leaves, and only a small guardrail protects a huge drop off a cliff. The climb itself is part of history although I don’t see it being a hugely deciding factor this year. It softens the contenders and the majority of the peloton will be dropped here as the distance and climbs begin to bite, but don’t expect a race -winning move. The finale with Civiglio and particularly the San Fermo climb followed by the short descent to the lakeside in Como is for me where Il Lombardia belongs. It’s a finish that gives a range of riders the chance of victory and is more tactical then a pure drag race. That sums up why I love it.
I have stayed focused and trained well to inish my time at Quick- Step on a high