Dan Martin (right) getting a new wheel from team mate Peter Stetina with 20km remaining; the Irishman would go on to get 4th
By Brian Canty
So near, yet so far is Dan Martin’s assessment of yesterday’s thrilling finish at Fleche Wallone, where he was centimetres away from notching a podium finish at a major classic.
But the Garmin-SHARP man was philosophical when he spoke to stickybottle tonight, because with 20 kilometres to go things didn’t look so good for him when his front wheel punctured. That forced team-mate Peter Stetina to offer up his own wheel, and a frantic chase ensued.
“I was pretty gutted actually, not to get on the podium, I was aiming to get on the podium but to come so close, it was literally, yeah...stupidly close,” he said.
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“I would say I was the third strongest guy in the race, so a bit disappointing to miss out on that but, yeah, obviously fourth is a great result. Considering with 20 kilometres to go I didn’t really expect that, I think it shows the level of maturity that I lacked in the past; that I stayed so calm and still got back in there,” he added.
It was an impressive team effort again from Garmin-SHARP, with Martin very much their trump card. And he was quick to praise them all.
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“The lads rode their asses off to get me back in there and get me in a great position at the bottom of the climb. They worked their asses off for me all day and it was more bad luck but I managed to stay upright. I got the front wheel flat when we were doing 65kph. Peter pulled up and shouted ‘you need a wheel, you need a wheel?’ And obviously he stopped as quick as he could but I couldn’t stop because it was a front wheel so trying to break going around a corner at that speed isn’t exactly easy is it? But we managed to keep it upright. He gave me a quick wheel and we got going again.”
“I just stayed focused. I just dealt with it and tried to get back in there. I knew the course from last year so I knew I had a fair bit of time. The important thing was that it wasn’t going to split up too much on the next climb. So I got on through the cars, I stayed calm, didn’t panic, because I knew if I did and tried to get back in the group too quickly it would be wasted energy.”
“It was a case of either taking my time getting back and not using up too much energy or not getting back at all. If I killed myself getting back it would be pointless being in the front group because I wouldn’t have anything for the finish. I used the cars well and got back in there.”
And coming into the unrelenting finish that kicks up and up, he said he felt confident.
“I was feeling good all day, after getting back on I still felt really good. It’s basically 10 or 12 bunch sprint finishes going into every climb, you don’t quite get to see that on television but that takes energy and that’s what makes the race so special and hard. It takes a lot of technique and effort to put yourself in the right places, especially on the small roads.”
“The team managed to keep me at the front all day though and that kept my legs fresh and out of trouble. As far as I could see it was a pretty much a perfect day and a race. Moreno is just as talented as Rodriguez and he’s won a lot of finishes like that before. Obviously he had the belief of his team yesterday and took advantage of Rodriguez being on an off-day.”
Had the race been a few metres longer Martin would have nicked third, at least. But he’s already looking towards Sunday, and what Liege Bastogne Liege will throw up.
“Yeah for sure, it’s another race I really love. Fleche is probably my favourite race of the week but Liege is the longest, hardest race of the year and a hard way to finish the week because you finish absolutely exhausted. Obviously I've got the form and explosiveness and hopefully the stamina. I think I can do it. I just need that little bit of luck.”
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