Guillaume Martin: 'On some climbs I’m as fast as Armstrong' and why modern cycling feels riskier than ever

Last season, Martin took wins at Classic Grand Besançon Doubs and Tour du Jura, and he also finished 16th overall at the Tour de France.

For Martin, the goal of the job has never shifted. “The purpose is still the same: cross the finish line first.” What has transformed is everything around that simple endpoint. Testing has multiplied, equipment has become a laboratory, and physiology is monitored with an intensity that would have felt foreign ten years ago. 

“Performance is now so closely framed by science that we make fewer mistakes. The consequence is that every rider can extract the full potential of their physiology. The overall level of the peloton is much higher.”

That rise has pulled the age curve down. Riders are arriving younger, sharper, more ready to deliver results immediately. Martin sees an obvious upside in that preparedness, but he also worries about the cost. “Young riders can compare themselves to each other, and for those who develop differently or do not perform right away, it can be hard to live with.” 

The pressure, he says, lands earlier than it used to, and it can push teenagers into adult decisions. “Mechanically it also leads them to stop studying earlier. Facing that much pressure so young can create psychological risks. Despite that, all teams chase that space to keep up with the competition. Too bad if there is collateral damage.”

Speed is another accelerant, and in Martin’s view it is inseparable from safety. “It’s more dangerous because it is objectively faster.” He also points to a calendar effect: fewer race days can mean higher stakes each time the peloton pins on a number. 

“If riders do fewer races, there is more at stake in each one, more pressure and a harsher fight for position.” What surprises him is how little has progressed in protection. “There has not been a major evolution in safety in ten years, even though there are surely things to imagine, like airbags. If it were mandatory, it would become routine, like the helmet.”

No conversation about cycling’s evolution stays far from doping for long, even if Martin says it surfaces less in daily life. “When I do talks in libraries, for example, the question of doping comes up less often.” He understands why. 

“There are not many elements to feed it. There can be suspicion, but what do you base it on? There are only the performances, which are impressive. But there are also many elements of professionalisation that can explain them. I avoid dwelling on it too much because I would be reasoning in a vacuum.”

Still, records once linked to the sport’s darkest era continue to fall, and Martin does not dodge the discomfort of that reality. “I see some climbing times where I am as fast as Armstrong.” For him, that fact points to how far preparation has moved the ceiling. 

“It is proof that being more professional and mastering every aspect of performance can still take you to a very high level.” He draws a careful line between his own data and accusations. “There is a world between me and those who dominate the Tour. I cannot allow myself to judge or accuse. I also do not want to seem bitter.”

If there is a tension in his outlook, it is between fascination and fatigue. “Sometimes I want to step back from this extreme scientific supervision of performance and be more in pleasure than in control.” 

Yet he remains genuinely curious. “It is a way to learn more about your body, with all the tools and competent people around us. Here, every evening, we have meetings about equipment, nutrition and more, and I learn every evening. It feeds me intellectually.”