Dan Martin struggled to contain his enthusiasm at the unveiling of the 2017 Tour de France route in Paris, with several mountain finishes and a limited number of time trial kilometres, well suited to his climbing skillset. Next season he will target the Spring Classics and the Tour with a determination to succeed in both April and July.
The Irishman finished ninth in this year's Tour de France in his first title at the yellow jersey. That outing showcased the best of Martin in the mountains and but for being too aggressive on occasions, he may have finished higher.
"It's always hard to tell from a first impression but I think it's going to be a really close race," he told Cyclingnews in Paris.
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"Especially with that last time trial. There's not that many chances to attack but it's going to be quite an aggressive race because everyone is going to be scared of the last time trial. With this course you need to be aggressive."
The race begins with a 13-kilometre individual test in Dusseldorf, while a 23-kilometre time trial on the penultimate stage completes the 2017 route's quota of racing against the clock. Having the second time trial so late in the race, according to Martin, is a bonus for him and the rest of the climbers who will all be looking to limit their losses.
"The lack of TT kilometres makes it different. Having it at the end of the race means that it will come down to legs and not TT ability. By stage 20 everyone will be so tired that it will equalise everyone. Two years ago we saw some really strange results in the time trial so for me it's better at the end and it's also quite short. It definitely means that as a climber, there's less chance of losing a lot of time.
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