Dan Martin received no team support from QuickStep in the mountains at the Tour de France. And now reports of his leaving the team for a rival WorldTour outfit are growing.
Reports of Dan Martin leaving QuickStep for UAE Team Emirates
Reports that Dan Martin is leaving QuickStep for a rival WorldTour team are growing stronger.
The Irishman has been linked to UAE Team Emirates in international media reports for weeks now.
And the Italian media has now interviewed manager Carlo Saronni about the matter.
The potential signings of Dan Martin, Fabio Aru and Domenico Pozzovivo arose during the interview.
Saronni said many teams wanted to sign the riders but suggest Team UAE Emirates was doing its best.
“Negotiations are underway, some things have yet to be defined,” he said, speaking in general terms though after Martin's and Pozzovivo's names had been put to him.
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“Let’s say that at least a couple of riders are near the finish line and soon our backers will celebrate the arrival of new high quality, winning, riders.”
Dan Martin, who never makes any comment about his team plans, has also been linked to Trek-Segafredo.
It is currently looking for a replacement for Alberto Contador who is on the cusp of retiring. Contador says he is departing the sport after the Vuelta.
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Having signed for QuickStep in late 2015 from what is now Cannondale-Drapac, Martin is nearing the end of his two-year contract.
He is currently ranked 5th in the UCI’s WorldTour rankings. He had been as high as 3rd in the world after the Tour de France.
However, Martin has not raced since the Tour because he was diagnosed with two fractured vertebrae and is currently recovering.
He is always a rider in demand and his form this year, indeed his consistency over the last two seasons, makes him a very hot ticket in pro cycling at present.
Martin enjoyed a fantastic Tour de France with 6th overall. This was despite being assigned just one domestique and getting little, if any, help in the mountains.
He has said he believes he can win the Tour de France. But he would need much better team support to make a real challenge.
And how his ambitions could be aligned with those of Aru remains to be seen.
As well as his 6th overall at the Tour, he also took eight top 10 placings on stages. And two of those – a 2nd and 3rd – carried WorldTour ranking points.
Martin has 2,040 points, 400 of which were scored for his general classification placing in the Tour.
He also netted 315 points for each of his 3rd placings overall in Paris Nice and Critérium du Dauphiné.
Meanwhile, his 2nd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège was worth 400 points. And 2nd in La Flèche Wallonne won him 320 points.
His next highest points tally was for 6th overall back in March at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. That performance secured for him 140 points.
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