Guillaume Martin, who made his Giro d'Italia debut last season, will make the Tour de France his only Grand Tour in 2023, and a tough start in the Basque Country and the Pyrenees is encouraging for Cofidis.

Martin was forced to abandon last year's Tour after testing positive for COVID-19 at the end of the first week. The Frenchman's highest finish in the Tour was eighth in 2021, ironically as a result of his determination to pursue a stage win rather than an overall ranking going into the race.

"I can't not aim for the Tour de France overall, it's in my DNA," Martin told Cyclismactu (open in new tab) of his ambitions for the 2023 Tour.

Martin attended the Cofidis team presentation in Paris on Friday and revealed that he will participate in a slightly lighter race program in 2023. He will start the season with the Challenge Mallorca in late January before taking on the Von Ardèche Classic and the Drome Classic in late February.

"It's in my nature, I can't hold myself back, but I wanted to do a little less. This should allow me to focus more on the Tour de France," Martin told RMC Sport (opens in new tab)."

"It's still a heavy start to the season, but the recovery period is a little longer than in the past and I have more focused goals.

Last year, Martín raced early and often, finishing third in the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, second in the Drome Classic, eighth in the Volta a Catalunya, and 14th overall in the Giro.

After COVID-19 ruined his Tour, Martín returned to busy late-season racing, winning the Tour de l'Ain overall and finishing the season with consistent results in the Italian classics and UCI points.

"I'm a pretty consistent rider, riding the full season from the end of January to mid-October. I think that's a very noble thing to do, and it shows respect for the people who organize the races."

Asked how he plans to make 2023 a success, Martin replied: "I've had good results since the beginning of my career, but I'm missing the big leaps and wins at the World Tour level. I think I need that.