Dan Martin Liège-Bastogne-Liège puncture

It may have been a finale that frustrated him, but Dan Martin rode much better at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. And he was able to look past his late puncture.

 

Dan Martin hopeful despite Liège-Bastogne-Liège puncture

 

He may have come home in 18th place after a frustrating finale, but Dan Martin’s form looked much better at Liège-Bastogne-Liège yesterday.

The Irishman had been bullet-proof over the last two seasons; his stint with QuickStep bringing out excellent consistency.

And while he had won big races, two monuments as well as Grand Tour wins and stage races before going to the Belgian team, he  progressed further at QuickStep.

At the Tour de France last year he looked for the first time ever like a genuine contender for the podium.

And though a crash on stage 8 set him back – and broke his spine – he continued to ride out of his socks.

At the finish in Paris he was 6th overall. When his crash was factored in, he looked like a man who could come back and do much better. The Tour de France podium seemed to be beckoning him.

And all of the noises he made in the months that followed were around going back to the Tour for an all-out assault.

His change to UAE Team Emirates was intended as a big step towards that goal. But in recent months, since the start of the season, his plans seemed to have faltered.

Some underwhelming rides were compounded by back luck. To date his top result in 2018 has been 4th on a stage of Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta. It is a race he was 6th in last year after claiming a stage.

By this point last year Dan Martin had also been 5th overall in Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

He had claimed 3rd overall at Paris-Nice after a fantastic final weekend. And in Volta Ciclista a Catalunya he was 6th overall and went very close to a stage win.

Then in the Ardennes classics he was runner-up in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

And while his ride yesterday does not add anything of note to his palmares, it looked like a performance that may have put Dan Martin back on track.

He made the select group that distanced everyone else on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. And though eventual winner Bob Jungels would ride clear over the top of that climb, Martin was full of racing after him.

He attacked the group three times in the final 18km. He was brought back each time.

Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) put him under severe pressure during one stint off the front. And at that moment Martin looked like he still lacked something.

But he was off the front in one of the biggest races in the world; the first time that has happened properly this year.

And at the finish the 31-year-old Irish rider seemed to take that much from the race.

Even though his effort ended as it did, he said he was happy that he was riding well again.

He was also content that his team still believed in him and rode accordingly; pulling on the front for long stints of the race.

“I really had a good legs today and this was thanks to the work I’m doing and to the team,” Dan Martin said.

“We made a plan for this race from the start to the finish and we believed in our chances.

“We showed that we are an important team. And we can race like one of the best teams in the world.

“At the end of the race, I had good feelings and I was ready to try to profit from the work of my team earlier on in the race.

“I tried to anticipate the others moves with a series of attacks. I felt that it was the decisive moment in the race, which it ended up being.

“I’ve punctured in the worst of moments. And when I saw my front wheel was completely flat, I could not believe it. Now I hope to profit from my hard work at the Tour of Romandie.”