An 11th place on a stage of the Tour
de France may not seem like a major achievement for the three-time Grand Tour
stage winner and double monument winner, but Dan Martin said he was treating
his breakaway ride as another win.
The Israel Start-Up Nation man went
on the attack on Friday’s stage 13 at the Tour de France; getting away in a
small breakaway early that swelled to 17 riders.
And while Martin didn’t prove one of
the strongest on the final ascent of Le Puy Mary, where he was forced to settle
for 11th, he said he was delighted considering his crash at Critérium du
Dauphiné last month when he fractured a bone in his back.
He said he was treating the performance like “a victory, as I felt like myself again” and was hopeful there was more to come, as early as today’s stage 15.
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“Four weeks ago, I could hardly walk and really didn’t think I would make it to the start-line, but the team believed in me and gave me the chance to be here,” he said.
“The first two weeks have been difficult mentally but (on stage 13) for the first time I really felt like my back was not holding me back.
“We were fully committed for the first 50km of racing and I think we all paid for it in the end. I really believed we could go to the finish.
“But the strong group came from behind after having a much easier ride than us, and by the last climb I had nothing left.
“As a racer I’m disappointed with the result, but to feel like myself again is a relief, and we will keep working to get that stage victory for the team.
"I remember four weeks ago today, after the Dauphine, I could not even pick up my kids when I got home. Riding in the Tour de France, back then, seemed a long way off."
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