Tony Martin eyeing the Olympics time trial podium
Tony Martin of Team Omega Pharma-Quickstep has revealed his ambitions for the most awaited sporting event of the year, the 2012 Olympic Games.
The German had a good start to his 2012 campaign with a first place finish at the National Time Trial Championships along with a second overall finish at the Volta ao Algarve.
He occupied the top overall position at the Tour of Belgium and also bagged the Individual Time Trial stage4 of the race.
Martin rode brilliantly at the Tour of the Basque Country but fell 54 seconds short of the race winner Samuel Sanchez and had to settle for the fifth overall spot.
Samuel Sanchez of Team Euskaltel-Euskadi claimed the top position with Joaquim Rodriguez, Bauke Mollema and Damiano Cunego holding the second, the third and the fourth positions respectively.
The 27-year-old still has not completely recovered from a broken bone in his hand, which resulted after the stage 1 crash at the Tour de France.
Tony continued riding the tour with a broken bone until the stage 9 but could not finish the race and abandoned the Tour de France after the ninth stage.
He declared Bradley Wiggins as a top favourite to grab gold in front of the home crowd considering his supreme form right through the season.
He told sport.t-online, “It is still torture, but possible, when I'm on the start ramp, I will surely have other things in my head other than my hand. The injury won't really hold me back".
"Gold is possible," Martin voiced, but "it would be presumptuous to look only for gold. The podium is my primary goal".
"He was so super humanly strong in the Tour de France. I think that he will also triumph in London".
Tony marked his professional debut with Team High Road in 2008 and spent a period of four years with the American side.
Team HTC announced its demise from professional cycling by the end of 2011 and Martin had no other option but to find a new home to continue his professional endeavours.
He penned a deal with Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step in 2012 and is content with his performance in the first half of the 2012 season.
The German is all set to represent his nation at both the time trial and the road race events and his primary goal is to find podium at the contest.
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