Tony Martin uncertain about retirement due to coronavirus

Tony Martin remains uncertain about his retirement because of the coronavirus crisis.

The German star and former time trial champion says he planned to make a decision on his future this spring, but with racing suspended for the foreseeable future he has been unable to reach a conclusion.

Martin, now 34, comes to the end of his contract with Jumbo-Visma this season and has considered the possibility of calling time on his career, especially after he was forced to abandon the 2019 Vuelta a España when he suffered a deep gash above his eye.

In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine (opens in new tab), Martin said: “Originally I had set myself the goal of waiting for spring to find answers – how did I cope with the severe fall at the Vuelta, how do I move in the peloton, how do I cope with the absence from my family? The decision is currently postponed.”

He added: “At the moment the whole of cycling is up in the air. The teams do not know how they will get out of the situation economically. It’s not the time to make hasty decisions.”

Martin has an outstanding palmarès as a time triallist, with four world championship titles to his name between 2011 and 2016, five Tour stage wins and an overall victory in Paris-Nice.

As younger riders have taken the TT titles, including Tom Dumoulin and Rohan Dennis, Martin has made a name for himself as a respected road captain and workhorse, assisting Steven Kruijswijk and Primož Roglič in the 2019 Grand Tours.

>>> Holding Tour de France in 2020 could cause ‘substantial public health concerns,’ says expert

But Martin had a turbulent season last year, after he was disqualified from the Tour de France on stage 17 after an altercation with Luke Rowe, then crashing out of the Vuelta and suffering a huge cut above his right eye.

He opened 2020 at the UAE Tour, but has not race again as all events have been cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus.