Thirty-five-year-old, Dan Martin has won Il Lombardia, 'Classica della foglie morte', in 2014 and tomorrow will mark his last professional race. Here are some of his thoughts of what was and what will be...
"I don't think you can look back in this sport. That's how I have stayed fresh so long. However a race goes, good or bad, it's important to turn the page and refocus. Having said that, if I could take all the lessons I have learned and rewind to 10 years ago, I could have been so much more successful but the same goes for everybody. The sport has just advanced leaps and bounds the last years and become ever so competitive.
The thing I will miss the most is the camaraderie and vibe with my teammates. It's one of the things that I've enjoyed most about ISN is the family atmosphere and the fun we have at the races but also that feeling of being together and helping each other work towards a common goal.
Obviously, there are so many things I will not miss, that's why I'm retiring. The time away from home, the sacrifice, but then the less obvious things like the constant scrutiny we put ourselves under; the worry of getting sick or if your nutrition is good, if your training is good, how the races will go. The mental side of the sport is still massively underestimated. Then of course watching the last races in the rain: that's something I will definitely not miss.
During the last few off-seasons and when I've had time outside of training and racing, I have found a new sense of purpose and fun in developing companies and working within businesses. This interest led to Rubix Ventures, a company I co-founded with trusted contacts, to help athletes invest in exciting growth companies."
- Dan Martin
"Dan crowned his career these last two years with ISN, re-discovering his joy for racing. This showed in his results, with his biggest achievements being a Grand Tour GC career-best of 4th at last year's Vuelta including a stage win, and his epic stage win at this year's Giro. But more importantly, Dan's contributions as a loyal teammate and mentor to our younger riders proved invaluable to our start-up team.
-Sylvan Adams. Co-owner
No Muro di Sormano this year but a nice video from Jered Gruber...
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