Dan Martin may be tough as nails but with concussion and road rash like this, it appears he had no option but to pull out of the Vuelta before the start this morning, Saturday.
By Gavin McLoughlin
Dan Martin has been forced to abandon the Vuelta a Espana after suffering a concussion in a heavy fall on yesterday’s stage 7.
The Irishman finished the stage but was subsequently taken to hospital where he was treated for significant abrasions.
Late last night, the Garmin-Sharp leader tweeted that a decision on his further participation in the Vuelta would be taken this morning.
With the damaging effects of concussion a hot-button topic in sport at present, the Irishman’s doctors have chosen not to risk aggravating Martin’s condition.
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It is a cruel twist of fate for a rider who was in excellent shape in the first week of the race.
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The Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner had been among the very best on the climbs and looked certain to compete for multiple stage victories and a high placing on general classification.
Martin had also been one of the favourites for the road race at the World Championships in Tuscany at the end of September. While he was at the Vuelta to get results, his main objective was to prepare for the Worlds and his forced withdrawal will require him to rethink his preparations. But with four weeks remaining until the elite men's race at the Worlds, all is not lost.
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