Lining up at this year’s Giro d’Italia, the Irish hope Dan Martin will start his first grand tour race with a sole focus on the general classification as he shares the leadership at Garmin-Sharp with the former winner, Ryder Hesjedal. A disposition of the 27-year old Irishman was visibly increasing throughout his Ardennes campaign, and even though a hard crash in Liege hampered his final Giro preparations, he claims to be one hundred per cent fit and fresh for the challenge.

Usually quiet and realistic about his own chances, Martin shared popular opinion that there is no particular favorite at the beginning of the 2014 edition of the Giro d’Italia, and that the relatively even level of main contenders means that the race needs to be approached day by day, without looking too far in the future.

“I think it’s the same as last year at the Tour: it’s 21 one-day races, because you can’t win it in one day but you can lose the race on any day,” Martin told Cyclingnews in Belfast on Wednesday. “For me, it’s always better to be concentrated every day. Obviously I’m not going to win the sprint stages but every day is a new day and you have to stay focused. And the easiest way to do that is not to look too far ahead.”

The Garmin-Sharp co-captain admitted that his dramatic crash in the last corner of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege has greater impact that it could have been initially expected and significantly affected his final preparations towards the Giro. However, the 27-year old Irishman, always looking at the brighter side, acknowledged that several days off a training schedule let him enter the competition one hundred per cent fresh and he still expects himself to hit the top disposition just on time.

“That crash in Liège was a bit heavier than it looked. I was pretty banged up and I think you’ll see at the team presentation that I’ve got some war wounds from that still,” he said. “It wasn’t ideal preparation. I haven’t been able to train much this week but I think that will come in handy in the last week. I’m definitely going into the race fresher. As far as a GC result, it’s up in the air. I’m just going to do my best and it depends on how good the other guys’ best is.”

“I definitely hurt myself at Liège, I needed a couple of days off the bike just to cure that but physically now I’m 100 per cent,” he said.

“Last week I had to take it easy but I’ve had a difficult few weeks of training. I did Tirreno, Catalunya, two weeks at altitude and then went directly to the Ardennes. It’s been a heavy few weeks but I think I needed that week’s rest. If anything I’m probably in better form now than I was before.”

Martin took part in a two-week training camp at altitude before participating in the final two Ardennes classics, but tremendous effort in Sierra Nevada didn’t affect his performances in one-day races, as he finished runner up to Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) at Fleche Wallonne and was agonizingly close to defend his 2013 title at Liege. With such disposition carried out of Ardennes, the Garmin-Sharp rider should be considered a real threat in the Italian grand tour.