the_hoyle wrote:
@all: Thanks guys just a little extra to the Martijn story

@sutty: This is seperate to the SA Development Team. Cell C will be a brand new team in the peleton, in addition to the SA Development team

After my 6 weeks of hating the sport, sitting around the house before I sorted myself out and tried to fall in love with the bike again, I come back to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné. I will ride a free role, looking at get the legs moving again, and not wanting to worry whether I perform or not. I loved it when Brian Holm was the Directeur Sportif at a race.

Of the stages, the hilly Stage 3 was a profile that would suit me nicely. Hopefully I will be up for the fight, although getting through the first couple of stages could be difficult in my current state of mind.

My final race before the Tour de France came in Italy at the Giro dell'Appennino. A hilly classic, where a major of the riders will be wanting to finalise their own programmes before the National Championships and Le Grande Boucle.

I will lead the team, but Nicholas Roche and Nathan van Hooydonck will ride as back-up. I am still yet to feel 100% after my break, and who knows how I will feel on the day.

A large group of 11 riders formed the main break of the day, but it's lack of threat the peleton meant it was given a fairly long lead before the chase began.

I sat close the front of the peleton, and tried to stay as loose as possible. Roche was also close by, and he was a real help at trying to settle into my rhythm.

It was not until the final lap that the attacks came. The break was still clear, and the general chase back by the main group was not enough. I went with the first wave, and soon Henao (Movistar), Löfkvist (Trek) and I opened a small gap, but a more dangerous group was giving chase behind.

We were caught on the descent to the line, and as Voeckler (Europcar) open the sprint, I felt my legs turn to jelly. I tried to jump with my former teammate, but it was going nowhere fast.

The victory would go to Thomas de Gendt (OmegaPharma), who was the strongest after a hard finish. Voeckler came home 2nd, with Gianni Meersman (OmegaPharma) in 3rd. I would cross the line in 13th, and feeling strangely more tired than usual.

A day after the Giro dell'Appennino, I struggled to get out of bed, and illness had hit me hard. It explained my struggle to finish strongly, but with the Tour de France just around the corner, I was worried that my place on the team could be at stake.

I kept it quiet from the Team Doctors, got myself back to Geneva, and thought a week of rest will help. If I can get a few miles in my legs when I recover slightly, I can still hold some sort of form going into one of the biggest races of the year.

At the National Championships, there was a small amount of success for HTC. Tony Martin retained his German Time Trial Title, whilst Bradley Wiggins came home 3rd in the British TT Championships, behind Chris Froome and Alex Dowsett (both Sky).

In the Road Races, an out of form John Degenkolb took 2nd in the German Championships, whilst Geraint Thomas outsprinted Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (NetApp) to win the British Title for a second time. It will be great to see the British colours on display at the Tour in a week's time.

In the build-up the Tour de France, Mark Renshaw and Bernard Eisel both announced that they will hang up their wheels at the end of the season. Both have been great servants to the sport of cycling over many years, and it will be said to see them go.

The eve of the Tour de France should make you more excited than I was, but somehow I was more nervous. Not because it is one of the biggest races in the cycling world, but because of my recent illness and indifferent form.

Whilst I felt I was coming back to my best at the Critérium du Dauphiné, I was hit for six by the illness after the Giro dell'Appennino. The first week is steady, and I should improve the more the race goes on.

My targets are similar to those before I rode the Giro d'Italia last year. A stage win or two, a couple of days in the break, and wearing one of the Leader's Jerseys would make me a happy man.

After the ITT to open the 2016 Tour de France, the first real chance to see a mix up in the GC will be on the TTT from Tours to Blois on Stage 4. You can expect the weaker teams to really lose time here.

The first Mountain Stage come on Stage 10 to Courcheval. With no other real chance to make up any time since the TTT on Stage 4, expect the GC favourites to try and make back some lost time here.

Stage 15 to Pla d'Adet is this year's Queen Stage of the Tour de France. Five Classified climbs, with a Summit Finish to end, this will certainly be the stage where fireworks will go off in the peleton.

The route from Albi to Mende on Stage 18 will be the final chance for the Pure Climbers to try and gain time before the race heads towards its conclusion in Paris.

The ITT around St-Etienne on Stage 20 will be where the 2016 Tour de France will be all but confirmed. The hilly course still could throw up some surprises, so if it is a still a close fight for the Overall victory, it could be an exciting stage for all to watch.