"I’m proud to be in the team to lead out Mark" - Martin Laas willing to sacrifice to help Mark Cavendish

Whilst Cees Bol is expected to be the primary lead-out man for Mark Cavendish at the Astana Qazaqstan Team this campaign, Martin Laas will on occasion be called upon and he is more than ready.

“When I signed, all the rumours said that Mark would normally be going with B&B," the 29-year-old former BORA-hansgrohe rider revealed to Cycling News. "But I’m proud to be in the team to lead out Mark and make as much of it as I can, even if leading out and sprinting are completely different games."

“Basically, I’d like to help the team as much as possible in the lead-outs and support in this way but also get opportunities in the race too, because for sure I want to win as well," Laas continues. "I have different roles in some races. Maybe I will get an opportunity in some races, in others more as a lead-out for Gleb Syritsa or Cavendish."

Laas has spent time as both a lead-out man and a frontline sprinter during his career racking up 14 wins to date. “If you’re a lead-out man, then you always need to think about your sprinter and always need to think a few steps ahead," he explains. “You need to know his abilities, know him as a person. Some riders like to be in the front, others at the back, some like to make their moves in the last minute. It’s like in normal life, every person is different and they do things in different ways.”