Lucy Martin moves to Garmin-Cervélo

GB Academy rider Lucy Martin will ride for the Garmin-Cervélo team in 2011.

"I'm really pleased, it's a good step," Martin told Cycling Weekly.

"I know a lot of the riders and had been speaking to the team manager, but I didn't expect to get a contract. They said there were two places left and that they'd like to sign me."

Martin - no relation to Dan Martin, who coincidentally rides for the men's team - will be the fourth Briton on the new amalgamation, joining world champion Emma Pooley, Lizzie Armitstead and Sharon Laws.

The women's Cervélo team dominated the sport last year, finishing the season as the top-ranked team in the world.

"It's a really good thing, I already know half the team really well. It'll benefit everyone for the world championships and Olympics," 20 year old Martin added.

Talent Team product Martin feels that she has learnt a lot more in her second year based abroad.

This season, she won a kermesse, wore the young rider's jersey in the Trophee d'Or and had two World Cup top-twenty finishes.

"Compared to my first year as a senior, which was a huge learning curve, I understand a lot more about it. I've been finishing consistently highly this year, but I want to ultimately be getting in the top-three," she said.

A good all-rounder, Martin also has her eye on the flat world championship course in Copenhagen next year as well as gaining a place on the London 2012 team.

"It'll be good to lead out some riders too," Martin added. She has form in that department, helping Lizzie Armitstead to Commonwealth road race silver as part of the English team in New Delhi.

"It was fantastic, a really good experience. I've been to two world championships, but to go to a Games, with all the different events, was really different."

"With all the bad press, I was a bit apprehensive going into it but it was a lot better than expected. I hadn't ridden the track since January, so it was a bit of a shock, but I helped Anna [Blyth] to scratch race bronze, then Lizzie on the road."

Related linksBritish Cycling reveals new Academy intake