Former mountain bike Olympic champion Martinez back on the road

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s mountain biking Olympic champion Miguel Martinez is set to resume his career on the road at the age of 44 after signing a six-month contract with the Amore e Vita team following a 12-year hiatus. “It’s a six-month renewable contract,” Martinez, who won the gold medal in the cross-country mountain biking event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, told sports daily L’Equipe on Saturday. “It’s not paid but passion is more important than money.” Martinez had a taste of road cycling when he finished 44th in the 2002 Tour de France with Mapei and when he rode for Phonak in 2003 and Amore e Vita in 2008 before ending his career.