We speculated whether Tony Martin could be a contender for the overall prize at the Tour de Romandie having proved himself on undulating terrain at the Tour of the Basque Country.
At the very least, we concluded, he would have a big role to play for the team – and so it has already proved. The German has been a super-domestique in every sense of the word so far this season.
The sight of him burying himself in support of Michal Kwiatkowski has become a familiar one.
It was his pulling on the front which moved the Pole into the leader’s jersey at Tirreno-Adriatico. And the German was at it again on the run-in to Sion. His huge dig pulling the leading group back together to reel in Vincenzo Nibali’s solo attack.
His near-miss at the Vuelta a Espana, a great effort – albeit in vain – to defend his Tour of Beijing title on terrain not at all suited to him and his solo win in the Basque Country are marking him as a true hard man.
If he can maintain his current form he will once again be an invaluable domestique at the Tour de France.
