Dan Martin has known both success and heartache at the Ardennes Classics. He really needs a big week after a slow start to the season. And he feels this Sunday can suit him very well.
Dan Martin seeks to shake off bad luck in Ardennes Classics
A double two-time monument winner, Dan Martin is hoping his muted start to the season will end this weekend at Amstel Gold.
The 31-year-old, whose wife is now expecting twins, has ridden extremely well in the Ardennes classics.
Amstel Gold has been the one race of the three Ardennes classics that have suited him least.
He won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2013; the highlight of his career to date.
He was 2nd last year and 5th in 2012. In 2014 he looked set to win when he crashed on the final corner.
And in La Flèche Wallonne he has been in the top six five times, though he’s yet to win it.
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Twelve months ago he was 2nd on both Liège - Bastogne – Liège and La Flèche Wallonne; beaten both times by Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).
However, despite his stunning form last year Dan Martin failed to finish Amstel Gold.
Indeed, he has ridden it six times and only finished twice; 75th in 2012 and 15th in 2015.
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But this year Dan Martin feels the new finale for Sunday’s Amstel Gold will suit him better than ever.
“Training has gone well since Volta a Catalunya despite the heavy crash on the last stage,” he said.
“I’ve been in good condition all season but bad luck prevented me from showing it in results. I feel ready to head into some of my favourite races.
“The course of the Flèche Wallone looks a lot more difficult than previous years. And it will make the final even more testing”.
This year’s race is 262.6km, starting in Maastricht and spending the day in the Limburg climbs of Holland. The Cauberg is tackled three times and the race now finishes at Vilt-Valkenberg.
The riders will not tackle the Cauberg near the finish. However, the Geulhammerberg and Bemelerberg ramps feature in the 16km final finishing lap.
After the final climb, of the Bemelerberg, the course remains lumpy all the way into the final kilometre, though that final kilometre itself is not testing.
However, Dan Martin clearly believes the fact the race is up and down all the way into that final kilometre will suit him better.
Team mates Rui Costa and Diego Ulissi cane also perform in races like Amstel Gold and the line out on Sunday.
The remainder of the team is made up of Matteo Bono, Manuele Mori, Aleksandr Riabushenko and Rory Sutherland.
Martin has had a very quiet start to his season and he would dearly love to win this week to add to his monument career victories already, in LBL and the Tour of Lombardy.
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