Guillaume Martin is not particularly afraid of Jonas Vingegaard at Paris-Nice: "In today's cycling, there's no shortage of champions"

Paris-Nice is Guillaume Martin's first big test in new colors. The 31-year-old Frenchman joined Groupama - FDJ to be one of the team's GC leaders in stage races like the Race to the Sun. And so, the ambitions are high, even though Martin will face quite a few strong opponents.

During media press, Martin explains that he doesn't need to worry about Jonas Vingegaard's name on the startlist: "If he wasn't there, it wouldn't have bothered me either! But in today's cycling, there's no shortage of champions. It's always good to measure yourself against the best."

There's no doubt that Vingegaard will be in the running for overall victory at Paris-Nice. "He won the Algarve, he'll definitely be in the game. With his solid team around him, including the outgoing winner Jorgenson, they'll have several assets. Visma has always performed well in this race. I remember one year when they did 1-2-3 in the first stage with Christophe Laporte. They'll probably be the most formidable team at the start."

Martin feels that the stages later into this week could really fit his rider profile. "After the team time trial, it will be more my playground. I don't know all the summit finishes, but I have some reference points on certain climbs. There is no insurmountable stage, but four stages should suit my profile and the riders aiming for the general."

While he'd certainly like to slip into some breakaway on those stages, the Frenchman is also keeping a close eye on the general classification. "The important thing will be to be consistent and efficient every day. Last year, I wasn't there, but I followed the race, and it was lively until the end. As soon as you get to the mountains, the sorting is done more quickly, there are fewer team-mates and more opportunities for movement," he concludes.