Brilliant Martin back from brink to make Dauphiné podium

Dan Martin has taken his best stage result at the Criterium du Dauphiné today, finishing second on the final stage and moving up to third overall. The Irishman was dropped on the penultimate climb but battled back into contention before launching a ferocious late attack that saw him distance Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Richie Porte.

By Brian Canty

Dan Martin has has become the first ever Irishman to finish on the podium in the Criterium du Dauphiné after the race concluded this afternoon, Suunday.

The Etixx-QuickStep man claimed his higbest stage result of the week with second on today’s final leg and that was enough to see him move up one place overall and take the final spot on the podium, shifting Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team) into fourth.

Chris Froome (Team Sky) won the race outright for the third time with Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) completing a tremendous week by taking second.

19 seconds was all Martin trailed Froome by at the end of the week and the Irishman was only seven seconds behind Bardet.

In fact, the top seven of the general classification were only separated by 57 seconds, with Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) having to be content with fifth at 35 seconds.

It’s a massively morale-boosting week for Martin with the Tour de France starting in three weeks.

Despite yesterday’s attacking ride where he dropped everyone from the front (Froome) group and took third in the stage, he did a similar thing today – with only Bardet sticking with him.

Prior to today’s 151-kilometre leg from Le Pont to Superdevoluy Martin said the stage would be “even harder” than yesterday and he wasn’t wrong.

He was distanced on the final run-in to the finish but incredibly, dug very deep to regain contact with the lead group; one which contained Froome, Bardet, Adam Yates (Orica GreenEDGE), Contador and Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep), amongst others.

And after gathering his breath, Martin attacked from over Froome’s left shoulder and blew the group to pieces.

Poels, Yates and Alaphilippe all tried to tag onto the back of Bardet and just about managed to, but none managed to pass Martin and he took a six-second time bonus for second.

And because Froome, Contador and Porte were five seconds back, Martin moved up for his best ever stage race result.