"I’m not going to be satisfied with two days": Guillaume Martin looks back on a year hindered by injury

Despite claiming two victories in 2025, Guillaume Martin does not look back on his season with satisfaction. Hampered by illness and injuries and unable to make his mark in the Grand Tours, the French climber finished the year frustrated. He is now approaching 2026 with what he describes as a spirit of revenge.

Speaking to the media after the presentation of his Groupama - FDJ team on Friday, the 32-year-old announced a change in his racing programme. He will begin his 2026 season in Australia at the Tour Down Under, starting on January 20. It will be the first time he will race in Oceania, as he plans to try new challenges this season.

“At 32, you don’t tell yourself that everything is behind you. You still want to prove certain things. I think I still have things to prove in cycling. I’m not going to be satisfied with the two days when I raised my arms,” Martin said in quotes gathered by Cyclism Actu.

The 2025 season proved to be extremely difficult for the French rider, who endured a series of physical setbacks and underwhelming performances. “There were quite a few moments last season when I had the feeling that I was underperforming, that I wasn’t operational, for different reasons. I had tendinitis at the start of the year, a fractured vertebra after a crash at La Vuelta at the end of the season,” he explained.

“When you put all those reasons together, if I look at the 2025 season, I tell myself that there was a month and a half when I wasn’t hindered and when I was able to express my full potential.”

At 32 and after 12 years at the World Tour level, Martin is aware that he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, though he prefers to address the topic with irony. “I think I’m getting to a moment in my career when questions like that are going to start coming,” he said.

The issue has gained further relevance following Simon Yates’ recent and unexpected announcement that he would retire at the age of 33. “I don’t know him personally, nor the reasons that led to his retirement, but it’s true that the subject of mental fatigue and weariness is something that can happen in any profession, and cycling in particular,” he added.

“It’s a sport that is becoming increasingly demanding physically but also psychologically, so the key is not to fall into that form of burnout. Inevitably, I also start thinking about it. It’s healthy to project yourself into what comes next,” he concluded.

2025 wasn't all bad news for the experienced climber, as he took back-to-back victories at the Classic Grand Besançon and Tour du Jura and was also 10th at the highly-contested Criterium du Dauphiné. He also finished in sixth place in both the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes and the Tour du Doubs. He plans to ride both the Tour and Vuelta once again this year.