Daniel Martin is one of the favorites for the Ardennes. With two monuments in his pocket, the Irishman is focused on performing at the highest level. The Cannondale Garmin leader made a quiet start of season with a 25th place at Tirreno-Adriatico and a 10th place at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.

“The form is there and I’m feeling good. I’m following roughly the same preparation that I have for the last two years and that formula has worked pretty well in the past,” Martin explained according to Cyclingnews. “It took me around a week to get over Catalunya but that’s done me good. I went really deep in that race and it’s left me stronger and I’ve trained well in the last week with work on steeper climbs and some really long rides. I’m fresh mentally too, and that’s really important for these races.”

Unlike last year, he will not race Giro d’Italia. “Last year was a bit different because I was up in Sierra Nevada and preparing for the Giro a bit more so the form for the Ardennes was more of a by-product. This year I’ve done the same training rides as in 2013 but I’ve also overcooked myself before Amstel in the last few years, so the aim is to be a bit better there and then carry that into the other races”, he added. “But I don’t think it’s a question of focus, I just love riding these races. That enjoyment makes me ride well and it’s my favourite week of racing throughout the year. It’s hard to say where me form is at but I was better in Catalunya than I was last year so hopefully that will transfer to the Ardennes.”

At the end of this season, Martin will be out of contract. His agent is working to find him a new contract. “I just let my agent get on with it and I just focus on my racing. I don’t try and win races in order to help my contract and if you look at my results, some of the biggest ones show that there’s no correlation winning and when my contract is up. I just enjoy my racing and I know that if I do that then my contract will take care of itself,” Martin said. “And to be perfectly honest my agent has kept me out of it. After Liege is out of the way, we have a few week to sit down and look at options but I want to leave it alone and just keep my head down for these races and that’s the honest truth.”