Dan Martin leads Israel Start-Up Nation in Tour de France
Aug 27 2020 01:39 am CET
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Dan Martin is set to lead Israel Start-Up Nation at the Tour de France, on the first start of the team in the grand tour.
The Irishman will return to racing after suffering a sacral fracture during the second stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, but he thinks he is prepared for it. "I feel I am ready," he said. "I feel I can do something here in the Tour. I'm truly grateful to the team for being so patient and allowing me the time to really assess my condition after the crash in the Dauphine.
"My recovery progressed much better than expected and I was back on the bike, riding easily after only three days. Since then I have continued to improve and believe I can start the Tour de France in good condition. I expect to suffer through the first stages as I have missed a bit of training, but I am incredibly excited to use my experience in the race to help the team. Once I get back into the rhythm of racing, I will look for opportunities to take a stage win."
Andre Greipel will be starting in his tenth consecutive Tour de France. "It's always great to be here," the German explained. "And this will be a great celebration as the first Tour for the Israeli team and with the first Israeli rider. The team can be proud."
Guy Niv will be the first Israeli to ride in La Grande Boucle. "I am honoured and privileged to represent my country and team in the biggest race in cycling and one of the greatest sporting events in the world," he affirmed. "And to be the first Israeli to do so? It might sound like a cliché, but it's a dream come true. I have goosebumps just thinking about it. It's huge. It's something I've always wanted to do - and now we are about to make history. I cannot wait!"
Israel Start-Up Nation's line-up for the Tour de France (August 29-September 20):
Dan Martin
Andre Greipel
Nils Politt
Guy Niv
Hugo Hofstetter
Krists Neilands
Ben Hermans
Tom Van Asbroeck
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