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Columbia’s Tony Martin will face a mountain battle to retain his white jersey

by VeloNews.com

• July 09, 2009
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By Ryland James- AFP

Germany’s Tony Martin is hoping toemulate compatriot Jan Ullrich by wearing the Tour de France’s white jersey all the way to Paris as he prepares to defend it through the Pyrenees this weekend.

The 24-year-old Columbia rider has held the prize for the best placed U25 rider since the end of Monday’s third stage, and finished Thursday’s 181.5km race into Barcelona with the shirt still on his back.

Martin, whose parents fled Hungary in 1989 after the fall of the Iron
Curtain and settled in the former East German city of Cottbus, has spent the
entire year so far concentrating on the Tour and is pleased with his progress.

But he faces a stiff challenge during the next three mountain stages from the likes of Liquigas pair Roman Kreuziger and Vincenzo Nibali, as well as the winner of last year’s white jersey, Saxo Bank’s Andy Schleck.

“It has always been a dream of mine to to wear the white jersey,” said Martin. “All I want to do now is keep it for as long as possible.”

Former Tour de France winner Ullrich was the last German to wear the white jersey until Paris back in 1998.

But Martin, making his Tour debut as Columbia gives him a taste of the world’s toughest bike race, is keeping his feet on the ground.

“As long as the mountains are not too long and not too high, I am sure I will get over them with no trouble,” he said with a grin.

And the German has earned plenty of praise from Columbia team boss Bob Stapleton.

“He’s got a great engine, as you saw the past few days when he helped in the echelon (on Monday) and in the team time trial,” said Stapleton.

“On this Tour he’s excited to do well. Sometimes we have to rein him in so he doesn’t do too much damage to his teammates!”

Although a time trial specialist, Martin has phenomenal leg power, which he showed after finishing second in June’s Tour of Switzerland and winning the mountain jersey.

He has already shown his pedigree as a climber, but he refused to hear any talk of the yellow jersey.

“That is not realistic,” said Martin.

One Columbia team manager, Rolf Aldag, says Martin still has plenty to learn if he is to realise his potential as a future winner of the Tour.

“The primary goal is the white jersey,” said Aldag. “He has to learn how to be a bit more tactical.”

However, Stapleton believes Martin, with some more hard work over the coming years, has the potential to win the Tour de France yellow jersey one day.

“Tony is someone we can hope to look to, but it’s a process that will take some time,” he said.

“He’s a very good time triallist and he can climb, as you saw at the Tour of Switzerland, although this year’s edition was not the hilliest.

“Winning the white jersey is going to be especially tough this year.

“You’ve got some good young guys like Roman Kreuziger, who has plenty of stage race experience, and Vincenzo Nibali, who is also strong.”

Martin is pleased with his progress.

“There is a sense of euphoria here that we have heard nothing negative about cycling,” he admitted.

“It is nice that all the coverage so far has just been on the cycling.”