When Dan Martin made the front group as what remained of the main field blew to pieces at UAE Tour he tried to press on. He paid for his efforts towards the top of the climb, a stitch not helping his cause.
Irish rider Dan Martin said he attacked a number of times on the final climb of UAE Tour stage 3 yesterday when he sensed race leader Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) was on the limit.
However, Roglič was able to match him and push the pace on more, at which point Martin lost some ground on the lead group of four he was in.
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) jumped from a group behind, catching Martin and then pressing on again to close down the leaders.
Valverde immediately went on to win the sprint for stage victory, from Primož, with Dan Martin in 5th some 14 seconds down.
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“It’s just a bit of training that I’m missing at the moment, but I’m pretty happy. It’s not what we wanted but it’s not bad,” he said of his ride.
“Obviously we want to try to win, that’s the aim in every stage this week to try to win a stage because it’s our home race. But I couldn’t have done more.
“It was fast, with a tailwind, basically just a sprint up the climb,” Martin added of the final Jebel Hafeet ascent.
“I got a bit of a stitch in the end, I couldn’t breathe. It’s so early in the season to be doing that type of thing.”
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Roglič was protected well by his team through yesterday's stage. And when the race leader proved able to press hard repeatedly on the climb to the finish line, the Irish rider lost a bit of time. The leading four race towards the line with Martin on his own just behind.
Having seen his UAE Team Emirates sprinter Fernando Gaviria win the stage on Monday, Martin said he wanted to win yesterday.
But he came out of the stage reasonably happy with his form and impressed by the team performance from the race leader’s squad.
“Jumbo-Visma set a really high tempo. I saw Primož when he went he was a little bit on the limit and that’s why I attacked. Nut he was able to come with me.
“I saw he was really suffering so I accelerated again and he still had the legs to accelerate after me. That’s when I got dropped.”
While today’s stage 4 finish is uphill again, after 205km, the concluding Jebel Jais climb is not in the same league as yesterday’s finale.
Still, Martin is motivated whenever the road kicks up and may try again for a victory.
“Every day is complicated here; it can be with the wind. But we’re going to take it day by day and look at the GC to see where we stand.
“Roglič is very strong, he obviously came here ready and they are 100 per cent focused around him, and that’s a big advantage for him.
“He is going really good. He is strong in the GC and he is a very strong position there.”
Dan Martin knew he'd been in a bike race by the time the stage was over.
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