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Born
October 30, 1982
Hometown Chateauguay, Quebec
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160 lbs
Turned pro: 2006
MARTIN'S PHOTOS
Commonwealth
Games
BIO
After representing Canada on the world track cycling circuit
throughout the spring, Martin Gilbert rejoined his Kodakgallery.com/Sierra
Nevada teammates in late April and hit the ground running, placing
in the top-10 three times at the USA Crits series and taking the team's
first National Racing Calendar win of the season at the Leith BMW
Raleigh Criterium on May 26.
After starting as a triathlete at age 10, Martin chose to attend high
school at a sports-study academy where he initially trained as a cyclist
in order to improve his triathlon performance, but soon dropped the
running and swimming to focus on cycling.
With his talent and background in triathlon, Martin was able to place
second in the junior national championships in 2000 despite his relative
lack of road racing experience. He caught the eye of the Canadian
Cycling Association coaching staff, and soon was racing in Europe
with the junior national team in preparation for the world championships
in Plouay, France.
After the switch from triathlon to road cycling, Martin changed course
again in 2003 by adding track cycling to his repertoire. Racing the
points race, scratch race, and madison, Martin has earned several
top-10 finishes in World Cup races around the world, along with 10th
place in the scratch race at the 2004 world championships. In 2005,
he won Canada's National Points Race Championship.
After a completing the 2004-2005 winter track season, Martin was unsure
of his form heading into Quebec's international stage race, the Tour
de Beauce, that summer. But after getting away in a 14-rider breakaway
on the first day, Martin says, "Once I saw the finish, I knew
that it would be a good one for me."
Wining that 105-mile stage, followed quickly by two top-five stage
finishes at the Tour de 'Toona, solidified Martin's reputation as
a legitimate prospect for success in the professional ranks. After
an introduction from Dominique Perras, a fellow French-Canadian and
Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada team member, team managers Robin Zellner
and Kurt Stockton saw in Martin a rider who could bolster the team's
firepower in sprint finishes.
At home in Quebec, Martin studies pharmacy at the University of Montreal,
where his girlfriend Mathilde is also a medical student. In the winter,
he enjoys skiing and snowshoeing. His cycling goals include establishing
himself as one of North America's top road sprinters and qualifying
for the 2008 Olympics in track cycling. |
