The veteran cyclist has just completed 3484 kilometres in the Tour de France and, after a break of less than two weeks, he will be setting out to cover 3497 kilometres in the Giro d'Italia from 3 October (13:10/Eurosport 2).
But there is a good personal reason for the marathon on the bike: Martin will be the father of a daughter for the second time in the autumn and will therefore be competing in the Giro instead of the Vuelta as originally planned - without taking much of a breather.
"The date would then probably clash with the Vuelta. That's why I decided with the team that I'd rather ride the Giro," the 35-year-old told ARD's "Sportschau" programme, referring to the birth date. For the four-time time trial world champion Martin, there was no question that he would take a back seat in terms of sport in order to fully enjoy his family's happiness. "It's not ideal in terms of recovery. But in this case I have to say: family comes before sport. That's why we tried to find a compromise here," he explained.
Martin's ordeal is a symbol of the compressed calendar, which, after a four-and-a-half-month break due to coronavirus, includes all the important races from August to November. A look at the dates surrounding the Giro shows just how tight the calendar is this autumn: those who opt for the tour starting in Palermo on Saturday and finishing in Milan on 25 October will not be able to take part in the Belgian classics, Paris-Roubaix or the Vuelta.
Paris-Nice winner Maximilian Schachmann is not uncritical of the hardships for the pros. "Of course it's not easy this year. The whole season is even more stressful and exhausting than a normal season - also because we trained extremely hard during the lockdown because everything was cancelled bit by bit," Schachmann told the German Press Agency. He himself has decided not to start in the Giro and is planning to take part in three important classics instead.
Helfer Martin, who neutralised the dangerous stage at the Tour opener in Nice and thus proved his exposed position in the field of riders, should be able to cope with the Giro with a total of three time trials. But according to the former world champion, he no longer has any great sporting ambitions anyway. "I've basically put the most stressful phase of my career behind me and can now enjoy a bit of the retired life in cycling. I'm still part of the success, but I no longer have the really big burdens. That's what I'm enjoying at the moment," said Martin.
While in France he worked as a tireless pacemaker for the Slovenian captain Primoz Roglic, the Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk is now the jumbo-Visma rider for the overall classification at the Giro. Martin is happy to take on the enormous strain. "It's exhausting - especially when you know you have to work a lot on the flat. It's very, very hard," he explained. But riding for a captain like Roglic makes you "forget the pain", added Martin. Alongside Kruijswijk, former Tour winner Geraint Thomas from Great Britain and local hero Vincenzo Nibali are considered the big favourites for the Giro.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:201001-99-780805/4
