Martin excited for "most difficult side of the climb" as Giro heads into Etna

Guillaume Martin is a prime example of a pure climber in the peloton, and he will very much be favoured by the route this year's Giro d'Italia offers. The Frenchman is looking to finish high on the general standings, and tomorrow he will have the first opportunity to show his worth in the climbs.

"It’s the same finish line that has been used in the past, but there’s a different way of getting up there," he said regarding the Mount Etna finish - which he has ridden in a recent training camp. "I think it’s the most difficult side of the climb, it’s really steep and I think it will be possible to see gaps already there," Martin told Cyclingnews.

Read also

Preview - Giro d'Italia 2022 stage 4

Before the race's first rest day, in which the riders had to fly from Hungary to Sicily, where they arrived to a new array of team vehicles, Martin explained how it can affect the riders on the day: "I think it’s the rest day that’s going to be hard to manage. We have to catch the plane early on Monday morning and then recover from that. Then the stage itself is relatively short, but some rolling roads before we even get to Etna. That’s what will be difficult to manage."

Martin lost 45 seconds to Simon Yates in the individual time-trial, however it's not unrecoverable damage as the mountains will make severe changes to the overall classification this year. Despite the result, the Frenchman was satisfied with the feelings: "My sensations in the time trial were quite good and the result too... After the first stage, where I was obviously a bit disappointed with those lost seconds, I didn’t really know where I was at physically. I didn’t know if it was because of crashes or because of my shape. I’m reassured now; I’m in the game," he added.

Read also

CyclingUpToDate Column - Five conclusions from Giro d'Italia opening weekend