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In the 2014 edition of the race approaching the finish with the possibility of a second victory but no panda chasing him fate intervened and he inexplicably crashed in the final sweeping bend of the race. In 2013 as he took victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège Dan Martin wasn't even aware he had been chased by someone dressed as a panda. Born in 1986 in Birmingham to an Irish mother and an English father, Dan Martin is the nephew of Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche. Given that both Martin and Carrey have strayed further into the sport’s dark places in interviews and articles, it seems even lighter still. Written with his long-time friend and best-selling author Pierre Carrey, this is the story of a rider who never sought to conform to modern cycling’s norms and someone who, in many ways, embodies an age in cycling which has long since disappeared.
He covers this crash on the Mont du Chat in some detail, his thinking of why Porte was a good wheel for the descent, how he had an unwritten pact with Porte for the Tour that year and more. The locals hang them to dry and on the outsides of their houses in the town of Espelette, which they’re named for and where the time trial was due to finish. As an autobiography this book can’t explore what others thought but this unwitting pioneer angle alone makes him an interesting rider whose career spanned plenty, starting with the old-fashioned way of making his way to a French amateur climb in the hope of attracting attention via results in Europe. Many anecdotes get a paragraph or two but could be a whole chapter although the hardback already runs to 300 pages.Now the headings mention phobias but it’s more a theme to explore rather than a catalogue of negatives. Martin seemed to break a glass ceiling, his win suggested the top steps of the podium weren’t reserved for those entangled in doping scandals. Yes, Dan has a place for such things, but he balances it with a healthy dose of common sense along with doing things his own way. Known as one of the sport's last romantics, Dan has won stages on all of the Grand Tours and has triumphed at numerous one-day classics.
When I started watching races more regularly I for some reason developed an almost instant antipathy to Dan Martin. Dan is unashamed when it comes to exposing these dark feelings, his weaknesses and how he tried to deal with them, his attitude exemplifying Mark Twain's quote: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear".He was even reluctant to take medicines for his allergies – which used to ruin his form in Spring – for fear of the side effects. At the Auberge Basque the menu was magnificent, from the reduction of asparagus from the garden served as a starter (accompanied by a mousseline of asparagus, dried skipjack tuna and marjoram) to the savoury version of a Basque cake, with ewe’s milk cheese replacing the cream. The time is the early 2000s, the place south west English midlands, not far from where Dan grew up, the scene a British Cycling seniors race, five or six laps of an undulating circuit with an off circuit hill finish, about 80/90ks, I was a veteran making up the bunch. The book came as a 2022 Christmas present from my son, very fitting and of special interest for me, I used to follow Dan as a rider through the racing season. Dan Martin said no to British Cycling and even changed nationality to forge his own path, reinventing himself several times along the way to win two monuments and stages in all three grand tours.
Known, thanks to his racing style and attitude, for being one of road cycling's last romantics, Dan has always shied away from revealing too much about himself and his story. He enjoyed a glass of wine when he wanted to and didn’t obsess over every grain of rice on his plate. and he is building plans to keep a close eye on cycling, especially on young riders that he would like to guide, advise and share his positive energy. Team on the Run Ten years ago, a British team ventured forth from the safety of the provincial racing scene and tackled a Grand Tour. In a peloton which sometimes seems populated by smooth-pedalling clones, it was always pleasing to be able to pick out Dan with his distinctive, inelegant but effective style.In his Libé article, Carrey reminded Martin of those days at VC la Pomme, “a factory of champions [. Thanks for the story, and Inrng thanks for posting this, I’m really tempted to ask for it for Christmas now. the most rational hypothesis was that there was an oily residue on the road at that point and the dampness in the air had made it slippery.
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