Although there have been suggestions that Tony Martin could be set to race with GreenEdge in 2012, the rider has said that he is still considering which team he will sign with. He expects a decision to be made in the next fortnight or so.
“There is a shortlist of two, three teams with which we are still in negotiations,” he told Radsport News. “It's no longer about financial matters, but rather issues such as personnel and material. Nothing has been decided definitely, although I have a favourite…everything should be clarified in the run-up to the Vuelta.
The German has had a strong season with the HTC Highroad team. He won the Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice, picking up time trial victories in each, and also won against the clock in the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Volta al Pais Vasco.
He was being shaped as the team’s future GC contender, but instead found himself on the market when team owner Bob Stapleton said last week that the squad would stop at the end of the season. While there were some possibilities in terms of mergers with other teams and possible sponsorships, Stapleton said that he couldn’t secure backing which would put the team in a financial position to be able to take on the biggest squads in the sport.
Martin wishes things turned out differently, but will adapt. “I very much regret that and it makes me sad,” he said. “I've had four good years with HTC High Road, the team has been one of the most successful in the peloton."
Still, he knows that change could be good for him. “Now I notice a sense of excitement in me…I want to be with a team that works just as well as my present.”
Rumours have linked him to several teams, including GreenEdge, RadioShack, Saxo Bank SunGard, Sky Procycling, Leopard Trek and, according to the dpa news agency, Garmin-Cervélo.
“In early July and last week I was in contact with [Jonathan] Vaughters,” said Martin’s manager Jörg Werner.
“As the eleventh best in the world ranking, Tony is highly sought after,” said current directeur sportif Rolf Aldag. He added that Martin and Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) are the top ranked time trialists still on the market.
Martin is one of the few riders to beat world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara against the clock. Most recently, he did so in the time trial stage of the Tour de France, and he’ll aim to do so again in the world championships in Copenhagen in September.
He’ll ride the Vuelta a España for the first time in order to boost his chances of taking the rainbow jersey. “I'm going there to prepare for the World Cup and I'm already excited to see how my debut goes,” he explained. He added that he wouldn’t have predefined targets heading to Spain, preferring to keep relaxed.