Martin builds form for professional debut

CYCLING:New Irish professional Daniel Martin is building form in advance of his debut with the Slipstream Chipotle team. The 21-year-old is settling into his base in Girona, Spain, and will shortly fly to Colorado to take part in a big team training camp.

Martin gained a contract with the team thanks to very good amateur results in 2007. His wins included the GP Rayol Canadel and Tour de Savoie as well as the points competition in the Giro della Valle d'Aosta and the mountains classification in the Ronde de l'Isard. He is looking forward to life as a pro rider. "It's great to get a contract, although it wasn't really a surprise," he told The Irish Times. "It seemed like natural progression. I was pretty sure it was going to happen."

Martin was approached by Slipstream, a strongly anti-doping team, during the 2006 season but turned down the chance to go pro. He felt another year in the amateur ranks would stand to him. "I had only just become comfortable in the amateur ranks when they first started talking to me. I had spent 18 months suffering, clinging on the back of the group, then I started getting comfortable, started winning races. When they got in touch I didn't feel ready to go back to suffering again! It is good. I think I have progressed a lot in this last year."

Martin is likely to make his debut in the Tour of the Mediterranean, which runs from February 13th-17th. The Trofeo Laigueglia and the Tour du Haut Var follow later in the month, after which his next races will be confirmed.

Martin is a first cousin of Crédit Agricole professional Nicolas Roche, who will make his season debut in the Tour de Langkawi race in Malaysia, running from February 9th-17th.

FIXTURES: Sunday:Connacht MTB league, Monivea Wood, Monivea, Co Galway. Racing at 12.30pm. MTB Commissaires course, Clarion Airport Hotel. Starts 10am.