DAN MARTIN
In my mind, the Vuelta a España is unfairly seen as the poor relation of the grand tours, the consolation prize at the end of a long season. Those who tried and failed at the Giro or the Tour often arrive with extra motivation and something to prove, though perhaps with their condition not quite what it was earlier in the season. Ask the riders and the majority will say that they love riding the Vuelta. Yes, the Vuelta is usually really hot and involves a lot of climbing but it has a special atmosphere. It’s generally a more relaxed peloton, the hotels are good and so are the roads.
The race has been good to me in the past. It was my first grand tour in 2009, my first grand tour stage win in 2011 and it was there that I saw the first signs that I could contend for a grand tour podium. That was in 2014 when I finished seventh despite riding on heavy duty antibiotics in the last week.
It has bitten me a couple of times, too. I headed home via the hospital in both 2013 and 2015. 2015 was the last time I took to the start and it was going incredibly well. I was sat in third on GC until stage 8 when I came down in a big crash and separated my shoulder.
I’m happy to be back, but it is in strange circumstances. My wife is heavily pregnant with twins and so I could get a phone call at any moment asking me to head home. It’s a sacrifice to be away, but I’d rather be there when the girls are born. The team asked me to come knowing the risk that it could lose a rider even before the start.
I’m not sure how the body will have recovered from an incredibly tough Tour. I have not exactly felt amazing in training, but the sacrifice of being away has me incredibly motivated to make it a worthwhile trip. One of the highlights will be revisiting La Covatilla where I won in 2011. That seems like the perfect place to repeat history, but with twins on the way, perhaps I should be aiming for more than one stage!