Cycling: On the sidelines of the last stage of the Tour of Norway, we had the opportunity to talk to Paul Martens about his season so far. The LottoNL-Jumbo pro is on an upward trend with a podium finish in Norway and 11th overall.
“I really like it here in Norway. It's my second time - like most, I get a little cold every now and then,said the 32-year-old from Rostock. 163km, drizzle and 12°C were on the menu for the peloton today as they headed from Drøbak to Sarpsborg for the fifth stage. “I felt really good, but I'm not completely satisfied with my form at the moment. I was a bit tired after the classics in April but have trained well since then. So I hope it gets even better.”
The Tour of Norway is taking place for the sixth time this year – with LottoNL JUmbo, Lotto Soudal and Dimension Data, three WorldTour teams will also be there. The stage profiles were demanding and would have been a godsend for a top fit Paul Martens, but he never saw himself as a favorite: “The yellow jersey and the overall standings were never my goal here. I did quite well in the mountains of stage two and didn't finish far behind the second group, but I never put all my eggs in one basket." reports Martens. The second stage had 1.200 vertical meters - Pieter Weening (Rompoot Oranje Peloton) triumphed at the finish.
The Giro d'Italia was not an option for Martens this year, but of course he is nonetheless full of praise for his teammate Steven Kruiswijk, who has now moved into the position of top favorite in Italy. “It was really impressive from Steven. Unfortunately we couldn't join the excitement live because we were sitting on the bike ourselves, but we got the message over the radio. That gave us even more motivation." he reports. Martens sees good chances for Kruijswijk to make it to the general classification and believes in his qualities: “He was already very strong in the third week of the Giro last year. He's getting better rather than worse!”
For Martens, the Tour of Norway is part of the preliminary program for the important races in June and July. “I will start at the Dauphiné in June and then hopefully also at the Tour in July. I'm not sure yet if I'll be part of the team there, but I'll do my best." Martens is modest. He drove the Grand Boucle last year and enjoys a high reputation within the team. This is another reason why the Tour de France seems within reach for Paul Martens this year.
Incidentally, the last stage of the Tour of Norway went to Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimensin Data), Martens sprinted to 16th place and Pieter Weening won the overall classification.