Any way you look at it, after a decade or more in the same job, even one as enjoyable as getting paid to ride a bike, it can start to feel routine and boring. But Dan Martin (Israel Startup Nation) started his 13th season at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana on Wednesday.

"Morale is high," the Irishman told Cycling News just before the first stage of the race, where he will be in serious contention.

"From the first training camp, there's been a great atmosphere within the team, very relaxed and nice. [Israel Startup Nation is his fourth team.

One of the biggest changes from 2019 was a complete reworking of Martin's regular off-season training program, which came from a collaboration with Paolo Saldanha, performance manager at Israel Startup Nation It was born out of a collaboration with Paolo Sardagna, performance manager at Israel Startup Nation. Martin summarizes the new overall strategy in 15 words or less. 'Ride more feelers and look less at the power meter.'

"More intense training, and hopefully it will pay off. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Maybe the key is not overthinking it."

In keeping with his philosophy, Martin does not have a clear goal in mind, but rather goes to Valencia with no specific goals other than "to see where I am and what I need to do." He will ride the Algarve and rest a bit until Catalunya. This includes the Vuelta al País Vasco, the Ardennes, and the Tour.

While this race program is very familiar, what reinforces Martin's current feeling of entering uncharted territory in 2020 is that he will have a different trainer, a new team, and, as he notes, "new equipment." He also runs with a very different group of teammates every day than he has in the past.

"I don't know anyone except Rory [Sutherland], who I knew from my two years in the UAE and in Girona and other places. I've never been teammates with them.

But one thing the new team has in common is that he and his teammates are not, at least for now, overly stressed about the upcoming season. Rather, "There's not much expected of us," he said.

"It's clear that the deal with Katusha was signed quite late and we still need to work out the details. But the transfer was easy and morale is still high.