Sassenage (France) (AFP)
Eleventh in the standings and first French, Guillaume Martin on Monday drew up a contrasting assessment, between satisfaction and frustration, of the Tour de France which he assures "to live well" despite the domination of the Slovenes Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar.
"There is an extremely high level, linked to the context, the best in the world are present, the course is very difficult but, for my part, I live it well", declared the Norman leader of the Cofidis team, Monday, during of the day off.
"I have the impression of approaching this last week with more freshness compared to previous years. I approached the race in better conditions, every day I draw a little less on my reserves to perform well", a he detailed.
Guillaume Martin, who fell back in the standings after a remarkable first week (3rd in the standings), admitted to nurturing "a lot of frustration", following his fall last Tuesday and the racing circumstances which cost him dearly at Puy Mary then at the Grand Colombier.
"I don't feel particularly tired," insisted the Frenchman, who refuted the hypothesis of a particularly grueling Tour: "I have the impression that it's a catchphrase that we hear every year. the impression that it is always the hardest when it is recent ".
- "I do not lose hope" -
To a question about the domination of the Jumbo team from Roglic, the Ornais replied: "In previous years, it was Sky-Ineos who outrageously dominated the race and we were hoping for opposition. This time, we have the impression to be at the end of the cycle for Ineos. It's like that, teams are dominant and it lasts a few years. Maybe because they work well, they are more pros than the others. I don't lose the hope of being able to fight. "
In the same way, Guillaume Martin evoked the supremacy of the Slovenes whose two representatives are installed at the top of the ranking: "It's hard to generalize. There are two Slovenes who dominate, it is a lot for a small country but but that can be cyclical. Behind it, there are four Colombians. They are cycles. "
The Frenchman also mentioned the world championship, scheduled for September 27 in Imola (Italy): "It is clearly my ambition to be there and to influence the race. I spoke with (the coach) Thomas Voeckler on the subject. The course may suit me, it is close to the Ardennes classics ".
Before turning professional, Guillaume Martin won the hopeful version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
© 2020 AFP