Dan Martin has insisted the Volta A Catalunya is far from over and seems in defiant mood despite losing his race lead.
Having won Wednesday's stage 3 with a fantastic finishing surge that very few riders in the world could muster, Dan Martin slipped a little on Thursday’s stage 4 at the Volta A Catalunya.
Martin had claimed the first mountain stage of the race in great style to take the overall lead; going into Thursday’s second day in the mountains six seconds clear of nearest challenger Alberto Contador (Tinkoff).
And while he would lose out on the final stretch of the 172-kilometre journey from Baga to the summit finish at Port Aine on Thursday, Martin still finished 10th on the day.
He lost his race lead and dropped down to 4th but is only 26 seconds off leader Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and he believes there is more to come.
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While he looked vulnerable in the final 5km of climbing on Thursday, with no team mates around him; he pointed out that his squad had ridden themselves to a standstill for him to control the race before that final ascent.
"The team rode incredible today,” said Martin; never a rider to forget his colleagues’ contribution to his successes.
“It's such a young team, but the guys controlled the race like seasoned pros. We had no help all day, but still controlled the race with style and strength.
“I am very proud of how the boys rode. Of course, I'm disappointed to lose the jersey after the hard work of the team, but I have to be happy with our position after the mountains.
“The race is for sure not over, and even though it will be difficult to take so much time on Quintana, we will look for opportunities.
“There's still three hard days of racing left, the team is going really good, so hopefully we can look for more results after what is already a successful week for us."
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