- Speaker of the Tour de France since 2015, Damien Martin will once again this year be at the start of the Grande Boucle which starts from Nice this Saturday.
- Despite the health situation, the young Breton believes that the Tour de France remains and will remain a great popular celebration.
- He hopes that the French will animate the race again this year to electrify the crowd.
He is the voice of the Tour de France. Or rather one of the voices of the Tour since they are now four to occupy the job since the legend Daniel Mangeas put away his microphone in 2014. At 29 years old, Damien Martin, from Janzé near Rennes, will therefore be at the start of its sixth Grande Boucle this Saturday in Nice with the mission to thrill the public on the finish line. Despite the health situation, he is confident about the success of this 107th edition, believing that the Tour remains and will remain a great popular celebration.
How do we find ourselves at less than 30 years as a speaker of the Tour de France?
I started very young by commenting on my first race at 16 and a half. I then progressed at the departmental and regional level. In 2014, when Daniel Mangeas took over, I was then selected by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) who was looking for new speakers for the Tour. The interviews and the tests on the races were conclusive and I therefore became the holder. But I keep my independent status even though I work a lot with ASO on races like the Dauphiné Libéré, Paris-Nice or Paris-Roubaix.
In view of the context, will you play the same role this year?
It won't have too much of an impact. I will always be responsible for ensuring the comments even if it has to be done hidden. And then I have already been used to working in the cabin at the finish line for years. But obviously, with my colleagues, we will have a more educational role this year by regularly reminding the public of the instructions.
However, you will not be able to approach the runners this year.
We will not be able to interview them like the other years at the start and at the finish because they will be placed in a bubble to avoid contact with the outside as much as possible. The public will not be able to approach the runners either, it will not be the year for selfies or autographs. But I think everyone understands the situation. The Dauphiné was used as a dress rehearsal and it went very well with a lot of audience.
Isn't the party still going to be a bit spoiled?
The mask will not take away the emotion of the Tour de France. On the contrary, it will be a historic edition in the sense that it will still be remembered in twenty or thirty years. When we dive back into the photos, we will see masked runners and supporters. This will add yet another anecdote in the great history of the Tour which has passed through eras, wars and many other things.
The plateau promises to be very high in any case. A prognosis?
Sportingly, the interest will indeed be present. Maybe even more interesting than in previous years because the context made that the calendar changed. Suddenly, almost all the stars will be at the start of the Tour de France, with an even higher level. But it's difficult to make a prognosis as we saw on the Dauphiné. After such a long cut, it will depend a lot on the state of shape and there may be surprises.
Does a speaker have to be a bit chauvinistic?
It can be part of the job. But as a TV commentator might be. We are here to be objective. But afterwards, the audience in front of us is mostly French. He is waiting for Alaphillipe, Bardet or Pinot. So obviously when we announce the Pinot attack in the mountains, the public's reaction is different. The enthusiasm was incredible last year around Pinot and Alaphilippe. In Pau and Tourmalet, the atmosphere was worthy of a football stadium on the finish line, it gave chills. So if this year, a French rider plays the leading roles, we will still have a lot of euphoria on the roadsides.
As Rennes, how did you experience the controversy over the start of the Tour de France 2021 that Rennes refused?
There is of course disappointment. Because Rennes is the capital of Brittany, so it seemed logical to everyone that the Breton big start was from Rennes. But it will still be a great cycling festival in Brittany. There will be four 100% Breton stages with probably one stage per department. So Ille-et-Vilaine will also be part of the party.
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