Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) takes a fine win. (Image credit: Riccardo Scanferla)
Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) dances clear.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Garmin-Transitions' Dan Martin in the break on stage two(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) will undergo surgery tomorrow morning in Spain in order to solve a long-standing allergy issue. The Irishman regularly suffers from allergies in the spring and will have tissue removed from his nasal passage.
“Basically it’s just a couple of sensitive bits of skin in my nose but come the allergy time of year they swell up and block my nose. I’ve never been able to breathe through my nose properly,” Martin told Cyclingnews from his base in Girona, Spain.
“I’m not sure how much difference the operation will make but I want to try everything I can. Just from a mental state I have to try everything I can and if it doesn’t work, try something else.”
Martin pointed to this season’s results as evidence as to why the surgery could help. The Irishman struggled to find his feet in the first few months before enjoying a strong end to the year with victory in the Tour of Poland, the Japan Cup and a string of strong performances in September and October.
“You can see from my results that after mid-June I’m a different rider and can be at the front of races instead of just hanging on. That might just be a body clock type of thing but I think it’s purely down to allergies. I feel the same on the bike it’s just I’m lacking fifteen to twenty beats on my heart-rate. It’s just frustrating that we’re not going to find out the answer until the season begins and I’m racing.”
Martin’s surgery will mean a two-week window of recovery before he is allowed to train again. It also means missing Garmin-Cervelo’s first training camp in the Caymans at the start of next month as doctor’s orders mean he is unable to fly.
“I’ll be off for two weeks and then I need to take it really steady for a week. It might be a bit painful to start with. The only thing it’s going to effect is my appearance at Cycle Super store in Dublin that I was meant to make this weekend. That’s the only thing that’s had to suffer. I only finished my season three weeks ago so the timing isn’t bad in that sense. I will miss a few days and the first training camp but onwards and upwards and I’ll meet everyone at the training camp in January."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
