Dan Martin has described modern cycling as "boring" and "prescriptive", arguing that racing has become so professionalised that "freedom of expression" has all-but disappeared.
Martin, a relentless attacker and roller of the dice over his 14-year career, identified two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar as an exception but also warned that the new wave of young talents might have shorter careers.
In interviews with The Guardian and Irish Independent to promote his new autobiography, Martin addressed the idea that racing was better back when he was starting out as a pro.
“It’s the freedom of expression as well. That freedom to attack. Racing is quite boring to watch now as nobody makes mistakes any more," Martin told The Guardian.
"Everything is so fine-tuned you don’t see guys having bad days. Everybody is nutritionally perfect, training is perfect, and it’s lacking that human element. Racing has become quite prescriptive.”
In the Irish Independent, he added: "You don't need to have a brain to be a pro now."
Martin did acknowledge that his opinion might be an unpopular one, noting a current wave of enthusiasm among fans for a new generation that includes Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Wout Van Aert, (Jumbo-Visma) and others.
"Even though people say it’s the best racing ever, it’s really down to Pogačar," Martin said. "He is the loose cannon who attacks whenever he feels like it, whereas the rest of the racing is so scripted and controlled.”
Martin won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2013 and Il Lombardia in 2014, showcasing his instinctive style of racing. Even though he finished top-10 in the Tour de France three years in a row between 2016 and 2018, his style stood in stark contrast to the way Team Sky (now Ineos Grenadiers) were dominating the race in that period.
Martin revealed that he'd been rejected by Dave Brailsford's outfit towards the start of his career, and then rejected them himself when they came knocking at his door in 2018.
"I remembered why I never wanted to be part of Team Sky – I loved the attacking style of racing above all," Martin said.
"I always came back to my philosophy as to why I raced. For enjoyment. If I need to live like a monk to be a good bike rider, I don’t want to do it. Maybe if I had gone to Tenerife and lived in a volcano at altitude for three weeks before the Tour de France every year I might have been a bit better. But maybe I wouldn’t still be in love with cycling."
Citing this as a reason for his retirement, Martin argued that the regimes of Sky's former Tour winners now have to be followed by all pros, just to keep up with the increasing pace in the peloton.
That has seemingly extended to youngsters, although Martin suggested this new generation might not have the same longevity of old, highlighting the early retirements of Tom Dumoulin and Fabio Aru.
"I’ve heard stories of 16‑year‑olds doing 30 hours training a week. They’re already training like hardened pros," he said. "Guys like me had a sustainable way of racing that meant you could stay competitive for a long time. Those days are over.
"In modern cycling I might never have made it to where I did – because I wouldn’t have been allowed the time to develop. How many talented riders are we going to lose now?”
