It sounds like he has sympathy for young cyclists today. “My sympathy lies with the guys who have to make more sacrifices than I ever did just to be in the peloton. Just to be on the start line in the Tour you have to do altitude training camps, honed nutrition, you need to be super, super, skinny. You have to be doing what Team Sky did. But I got top 10 in the Tour de France, training out of my front door every day. Today that’s not possible. Written with his long-time friend and best-selling author Pierre Carrey, this is the story of a rider who never sought to conform to modern cycling’s norms and someone who, in many ways, embodies an age in cycling which has long since disappeared. We cover all these subjects – including Martin’s concern for young riders today – but first he reflects on an initially “devastating” moment. When he was 18 and one of the leading young cyclists in Britain, Martin was told that Brailsford had “nothing” to offer him. “It set me a challenge to prove him wrong and make it anyway,” he says. I’m currently on chapter three (I’ve also started Gone Girl and my brain seemingly cannot comprehend following over two books at the same time), and my verdict so far is that it’s refreshingly candid and personal. The book isn’t a straight chronology of Dan Martin’s cycling career. Instead each chapter explores a particular fear, whether crashing, injury or the burden of leadership and through this the arc of Dan Martin’s cycling career is covered. Now the headings mention phobias but it’s more a theme to explore rather than a catalogue of negatives.

Chased by Pandas by Dan Martin | Hachette UK Chased by Pandas by Dan Martin | Hachette UK

This is the celebration of a true cyclist’s career, which will appeal to anyone who’s embraced the weekend ride whilst dreaming of the mountains.Martin recalls how he, Thomas and Froome were all in doping control on the penultimate day of the 2018 Tour. He had won another stage that year and, demob happy, they spoke about food. While Martin drooled over the burger he would devour after the Tour, Thomas and Froome were excited about the prospect of “a good salad”. They hadn’t eaten one “for three weeks because of the fibres that lead excess water to be retained in the digestive tract”. The 36-year-old adopted Irishman shakes his head. “It shows the extremes, and their psychological strengths. Chris and Geraint went well beyond their physical capacity by being incredibly focused.”

Chased By Pandas By Dan Martin | Used | 9781529427585 - Wob

Chronicles the former Irish road champion’s journey through the ranks of professional cycling’– Cycling Weekly This is Dan Martin's long-awaited autobiography, full of 'the warmth, sharp insights and vivid colour of his 14-year career' Guardian Written with his long-time friend and best-selling author Pierre Carrey, this is the story of a rider who never sought to conform to modern cycling's norms and someone who, in many ways, embodies an age in cycling which has long since disappeared.

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While Martin has spoken in interviews about how he “ almost got used to seeing cyclists being led away in handcuffs”, Chased by Pandas doesn’t go to those dark places. Doping is mentioned, Martin telling us his attitude was to “avoid thinking about it”. He’s continued with that defence mechanism here by doing his best to avoid talking about it. Except to tell us how clean the sport became and how clean he is. That business about foregoing painkillers, is that really true? Interviewed by Paul Kimmage in 2017, Martin was asked about Tramadol:

Chased by Pandas: My life in the mysterious world - WHSmith

DM: Yeah, eventually. But since then, no, apart from when I was lying in a hospital bed in agony with a broken collarbone (his Giro crash in 2014). But, personally, I didn’t really see any difference in the testing process throughout my career. From 2011 to 2021 it didn’t really change. I presume that testing has got more advanced but it’s hard to know if it’s working. In his Libé article, Carrey reminded Martin of those days at VC la Pomme, “a factory of champions [...], broken little guys who sacrificed their youth”. Martin was broken, physically and mentally, but came through it with his self-belief, his confidence, and his morals intact. Carrey called Martin a hero, but one who refused the title, preferred to hug the walls of the world. He saw Martin as having been part of a group of riders who opened a doorway for a better form of cycling, he saw Martin as having helped inspire other riders, including Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.PK: Another area of abuse is anti-depressants, tranquilisers and painkillers - Tramadol. So again, what is clean? Ah, the innocence of youth, when you actually believed the things you read in cycling books. Hold onto it as long as you can, folk, you’ll miss it when it’s gone.