One look at the impressive body frame of Tony Martin and no less impressive results obtained by the powerful German allows to suspect how effectively he could use his engine on the cobbles. While his filled by classics specialists team came to exactly the same conclusion, the 29-year old time trialist confessed that afraid to spoil the Etixx-Quick Step most important campaign, he preffered to continue making improvements on well-known fields.

Martin admitted that he constantly hears suggestions he should test himself in the Flemish classics and does not rule out such possibility in the future. In fact, his first rather positive experience with the cobbles in last year's Tour de France edition convinced him that it indeed could be something for him – as it was in case of other decent TT specialists. Unfortunately, a fear of spoiling the spring campaign for his classics-oriented Etixx-Quick Step team effectively discourages him from stepping up in the nearest future.

“There are a lot of people that say I should try it [the cobbles],” Martin told Cycling Weekly, “for sure it’s a race for and I’m open for it for the next few years. I still have other goals, but sooner or later I want to give it a try.”

The 29-year old German acknowledges that gaining experience in the Flemish one-day races as a part of extremely strong classics unit would have particular advantages, but claims that earning a spot in the roster wouldn't be possible for him at this point.

“For sure in this team no [chance of a place in the Classics],” he said. “I can’t imagine it as I know the team is super-strong in the Classics and I don’t want to be the guy who messes it up to be honest.

“On the other side,” Martin continued,“if you’re one part of the team you just have to follow the seven other guys and you just go where you have to be, which is nice.

“But I don’t want to stand in the way, we have a really good team – it’s always a big fight to get into the races, in the Classic races, and like I say I don’t want to be the one who messes it up, because every rider counts in the Classics.

“We will see in the future if I’ll still be with this team and then we’ll make a plan.”

The Belgian team's sports director, Brian Holm, offered an entirely different version of events, though, claiming that Martin's own reservations prevented him from being included in their roster for this year's Paris-Roubaix.

“I spoke to Tony after [the Tour cobbled stage] also and I think it was [sport and development manager] Rolf Aldag who had the idea to put Tony in Paris-Roubaix,” Holm told Cycling Weekly.

“He saw that he could do it and wanted to get him in it. If we get Tony in there and he gets his engine started, no-one is going to catch him. He’ll be something like Cancellara probably.

“At the end of the day I don’t really think Tony really liked the idea,” added Holm. “[But] I think he could do it because he’s very good.”

While following paths of Fabian Cancellara remains possible for the former ITT world champion, he insisted that no one should expect him to emulate Bradley Wiggins and try to turn himself into GC contender for three-week events.

Instead, in the nearest future Martin plans to continue proving himself as a captain for one week-long stage races and regain the ITT championship title lost last year to the 34-year old Briton.

“But I think in the smaller races where the mountains are not too high, the suit me so I really could try this year,” he concluded.