"It's been my hardest and most disappointing season so far" - Guillaume Martin out to prove a point at the Dauphiné and the Tour de France
Cycling
For Cofidis rider Guillaume Martin, 2023 has been a frustrating year. Numerous bouts of illness and near misses mean that the 29-year-old Frenchman is entering a key stage of the season yet to taste victory.
"It's been my hardest and most disappointing season so far compared to my ambitions," admits the former King of the Mountains winner at the Vuelta a Espana in conversation with Cyclism'Actu. "I caught covid and I felt like I was fighting against it all the way from the start of the season. I fell ill several times, so it really impacted my results. I was tired all the time, I only wanted to sleep."
Top 10 finishes at the likes of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Camembert and most recently at the Mercan'Tour Classic do show signs of improvement however. And as Martin enters the stage of the season that always holds some extra reverence for French riders, the former 3rd placed finisher overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné will return to the race looking to prove a point as the Tour de France looms on the horizon.
"Even if I don't have to be 100% on the Dauphiné either and there will still be time to improve. It will be a good indicator in any case," he says. "As for the Tour, it is still the year when the course suits me very well. I remember the feelings I had last year and I'm going to try to get back to that level, or even a little better. If I succeed, there will be a way to make a good ranking."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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