Márton Dina: “Now health comes first and we have to concentrate on that”

Incorporated into the continental project of the Alberto Contador Foundation in June last year, the 2020 season was particularly interesting for the Hungarian Márton Dina. His official debut with the team took place in the Tour of Hungary, where he finished second. In 2020, the Budapest-born cyclist was facing his first full year with the team with many prospects of further progress and with the incentive of going to the Tokyo Olympics.

The spread of the coronavirus and the measures taken by many authorities to stop the spread of the pandemic, however, have slowed down all sporting activity. Cycling, in standby, has experienced a spiral of postponement. Even the Tour of Hungary, which in 2020 had moved to May to take advantage of the pull generated by the ‘Grand Départ’ of the Giro d’Italia from Budapest, recently confirmed its postponement until October. In this context, cyclists are forced to adapt and wait. We talked to Dina about the current situation and how she has experienced this rough start to the season.

In 2019 you finished second overall in the Tour of Hungary, a fundamental race for the team and one of the great objectives of the year; the race has been suspended because of the coronavirus. How have you experienced this situation?

As last year, this year also the tour de hongrie is my main goal. The level this year is much higher than last year with eight world tour teams but, I developed in the winter and I belived a good results. When this bad situation has started in Europe, and a lot of race was cancelled I thought, the biggest race in Hungary will also change the date.

How do you deal with these uncertain days, when the outbreak of the virus and the attempts to contain it in Europe has not only stopped cycling, but all sporting and even artistic and social practice?

Still the situation is not bad as in Italy and in Spain. We are stay home as much as we can, but still is possible to train outside. Nobody knows when can we racing again but now the healt is first, and have to concentrating about that.

How is you day by day now for training? You had to do a lot of changes or not until the moment?

Still we able to ride outside so it’s the positive things, but we have to be more careful than ever. Of course we can’t continue our training, we have to slow down a bit because we don’t know when we restart the season. We shouldn’t training full gas if we can’t racing in the next two-three months. Carlos help me a lot in this bad situation also and we talk every days, because when the season start again  we have to be ready.

Up until the moment when the season ‘closed’, what is your assessment of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team’s season?

I think we started well the season. We were very active in the Challenge of Mallorca and on Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana also. On Tour of Antalya we were in podium with Alessandro Fancellu, and beat some pro team.

Being able to start the year from the beginning with the team has allowed you to get to know different races until now unknown to you, and to do so in front of high level sports structures. How have you lived these experiences?

Yes It was very big opportunity for me. I was very motivated in the winter and worked hard. In the trainingcamp the staff give me some extra motivation, because they trust me and they know I can to achive some good results. The results of these I was able to come in top10 on Mallorca with a very big names in the group. On the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana I could’t finish the place when I wan’t but that was higher level race when I every raced. But racing in these level races is really motivating for me because I see the level where I want to be on the close future. We can race the biggest name of cycling and we can learn a lot. I’m really sure we got some extra speed with this season start.

You’ve also competed in mountain biking and it was up to you to go to the Tokyo, to the Olympics Games. Are you one of those who thought the Games should be cancelled because of the coronavirus?

I planned that this 2020 would be my last year of mountain biking. I want to concentrate 100% on the road. But I didn’t want to give up my childhood dream of the Olympics. Some big countries, some delegations, had already said they were not going. The final decision of cancellation was a matter of time.

The coronavirus has also forced the postponement of the Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia. How has it been lived among the Hungarian supporters?

Of course it is sad but a lot of race is cancelled and I think if the Giro will organised in october we will have another chance.

How is your workout routine these days, Marton? Without races, it couldn´t be the same.

For me it’s like a winter period. We just training without races, and try to be ready when restart the season.

We can say that the climb to Sierra de Bernia was the hardest you have done until now?

On race, yes. I did Mortirolo in the trainingcamp middle of the summer with the team, but that was just a training. On racing is totally different.

And for ending… How do feel yourself like rider after more time like pro? Do you feel strong? Do you feel that you have to learn a lot yet?

I develop a lot in the winter not just in the body, in my mind also, but of course sill I have to learn. I’m on the way to be a pro, and the team is me a lot in this.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)