2017 was going to be an important year regardless for Tony Martin with the Tour de France grand depart in Dusseldorf a rare opportunity for the time trialist to compete in the race on home soil. However, there is added significance to next year's race as the 31-year-old will line up for the stage 1 time trial in the rainbow jersey as world time trial champion.
Before the 13km time trial, Martin is building his early-season around the classics where he and Alexander Kristoff will be a formidable duo on the pave for his new team Katusha-Alpecin.
At the team's recent training camp in Calpe, Spain, Martin explained his decision to move on from Etixx-QuickStep after five seasons and the German attraction of Katusha-Alpecin.
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"First of all, I was at a point in my career after nine years as a professional and five years with Etixx that I want and I need to change something. Some different people around me, some new inputs, because I'm human," Martin said of the move. "I think everyone knows the situation if you have every year, week, month the same things to do you have less concentration, less motivation. Sometimes it feels like standing still. Then for sure also the success was not that big last year, so I said I need to change something. It doesn't mean Etixx wasn't a good team for me, it was a perfect team for me, but I needed to change something to get new inputs and new motivation. I chose to go for another team.
"Pretty soon we had some good talks with Katusha, and they explained their international project and the way they wanted to go in the future. And also the partners, they want to work with Alpecin. It feels like half a German team. With Canyon, it's also a brand I was looking to and I think they do a really good job and can also be a good partner for me in the future. Those were all reasons why I said yes, I want to try this project. If it's a right or wrong way you can change after one or two years. At the moment it feels right and I'm really happy to be part of this team."
In 2016, Martin placed greater emphasis on the cobbled classics than any previous year. His 2015 Tour stage win into Cambrai over the pave that saw Martin take the yellow jersey, suggested his potential in the cobbled classics and led to his appearance at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Renewed time trial focus
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