Video: Martin ready to defend Tour of Poland title

Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervelo) has experienced both the lows and highs of professional cycling at the Tour of Poland having abandoned in 2009 due to sickness only to return in 2010 to win both a stage and general classification, the biggest victory of his career thus far.

The 24-year-old Irishman is happy to be back at the Tour of Poland as defending champion and tells Cyclingnews' Pierre Carrey he can claim victory yet again. The parcours is slightly different than the previous edition, and Martin noted the stage he won in 2010 will not be contested this year, but he thinks its favourable nonetheless and will likely be won by seconds, making positioning a critical factor.

Martin prefers the races in the latter half of the season when his allergies aren't a factor where he can "let the legs do the talking". He was inspired by his teammates' performance at the Tour de France, where Garmin-Cervelo won four stages, and hopes to draw on the team's high wave of morale in Poland.