Martin backed to climb well in Giro

CYCLING:ON THE eve of the start of the Giro d'Italia, Irish climber Daniel Martin has received a vote of confidence from his Garmin-Transitions team coach Adrie Van Diemen.

The Dutchman, who has worked with triple Tour de France winner Greg LeMond and guided Martin’s team-mates Christian Vande Velde and Bradley Wiggins to fourth overall in the 2008 and 2009 Tours, believes the Irish rider has what it takes.

“I think that Dan is a very good rider,” Van Diemen said. “I think he will develop into a guy for the mountain-top finishes in races. In principle, for the type of rider he is, the Giro d’Italia could be a very good race for Dan, as it has a lot of spectacular mountain top finishes and some very steep climbs.”

The Giro d’Italia will be the second Grand Tour of Martin’s career, after his debut in the Vuelta a España last year. He’s still just 23, and so is adopting a “take it as it comes” approach to this edition of the race. But he has the ability to shine on at least some of the tougher stages.

The race begins in Amsterdam tomorrow with an 8.4km prologue. Most of the climbing stages are in the final week of racing, but Martin will have a chance to show himself before then.

In other news, the Team Ireland Subway squad was announced this week for the FBD Insurance Rás, which begins in Dunboyne in just over two weeks. It comprises Neil Delahaye, Adam Armstrong, Conor McAllister, Mark McKinley and Simon Williams.

Delahaye showed good form in the Rás Mumhan during Easter weekend, winning stage three en route to third overall. Armstrong highlighted his good form last Monday when he overhauled former Vuelta a España points champion Malcolm Elliott to win the Tour of Ulster. He is the top-ranked Irish domestic rider in the country, and is aiming for a strong Rás.

McAllister, McKinley and Williams have shown solid form of late and will ride well in support.

“We have selected a young team but they are coming into form at the right time,” said Cycling Ireland high-performance director Phil Leigh. “Adam Armstrong is the overall winner of one of Ireland’s biggest and most hotly contested races, and I believe that the riders will give a good account of themselves.”

Many of the Irish riders due to take part in the event will test their form in this Sunday’s Shay Elliott Memorial, which will start in Bray and finish 140km later in Kilpeddar. It will cover some of the toughest roads in Wicklow, including the Drumgoff climb, passing the memorial stone at the summit.

Elliott was the trailblazer for Irish cycling, racing strongly as a professional in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He won stages in the Vuelta a España and the Tour de France, finishing third overall in the former and holding the race lead in the latter. He was also a silver medallist in the world road race championships.

FIXTURES

Saturday: Red Hand Trophy, Broughshane, 11am.

Sunday: Shay Elliott Memorial, Bray. Starts 11am; Middleton Criterium, starts 1.30 pm; XC NPS round 3, Lady Dixon Park, Belfast; Tour of the Mournes, A2/Warrenpoint road, starts 10.30am; IVCA 40km Moy Valley time trial, starts 9.15am.