A stricken Dan Martin is led by his team mates across the pavé of northern France on today's stage 4 of the world's biggest race (Photo: Sirotti)
By Brian Canty
Dan Martin’s hopes of a strong placing on general classification at the Tour de France are over for another year after he lost big time today following a crash.
The Cannondale-Garmin team’s joint leader came down in a spill on a greasy section of newly-paved road with some 50 kilometres remaining on the 223.5km trek from Seraing to Cambrai.
The Irishman quickly got back on his feet but appeared to have some difficulty with his bike. It prevented him from chasing back onto the back of the peloton immediately.
He received a spare bike from a teammate and when they got going they had lost around a minute on the peloton.
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It was a sizeable gap, as the racing was going forward at the time with six of the seven sections of pavé remaining and the second of those just about to begin when the Irish man fell at low speed.
The pace really ramped up as Martin and his team chased, with many squads hit the front all vying for supremacy.
This all worked against Martin and his team mates who battled gamely to get back on terms.
But with such firepower up ahead it was not to be and by the time he crossed the finish line he had lost a massive 5:37.
Nicolas Roche stayed out of trouble and rode very well for his team, which is having a great race so far (Photo: Sirotti)
That result saw Martin drop from 20th this morning down to 35th and he now trails the new race leader Tony Martin by 7:52, having already lost time in the crosswind-induced splits of stage 1.
The stage winner, riding for Etixx-QuickStep, claimed one of his best ever road victories; not least because of the brutality of the 5½ contest but also because he took the yellow jersey.
Yesterday he lost out on claiming the race lead by a solitary second to Chris Froome (Team Sky) and had missed out the previous day by the same margin to Fabian Cancellara of Trek Factory Racing, now out with a fractured spine.
German Martin was determined to make up for that today, attacking the remnants of a dramatically reduced front group with three kilometres to go and time-trialling his way to the finish.
He crossed the line three seconds ahead of John Degenkolb (Giant Alpecin) and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) and the 40 or so who came home intact sprinting for 2nd place.
The best of the Irish today was Nicolas Roche who was in the front group all day and only lost 51 seconds coming to the finish.
That matters little as he is not contesting the general classification and his mandate now will be to try and engineer a way for Team Sky to take back the yellow jersey.
They will not be too concerned about losing it today as much stiffer tests await and defending the lead from stage 3 to Paris would be a massive task even for them.
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After his rivals taking time bonuses denied him the yellow jersey two days in a row, Tony Martin took matters into his own hands today. The former FBD Rás winner attacked the lead group - riding a team mate’s bike after a mechanical - and time trialled to the stage win the race lead.
Despite the efforts of the defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and his team mate Lars Boom to split the race today and gain time for the Italian again on the cobbles, the big favourites almost all kept their chances alive, losing no time on each other.
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo), Warren Barguil (Giant Alpecin), Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) were just some of the top names to come through with their hopes still intact in the group just behind Tony Martin.
Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), out to repeat his podium finish of last year, was perhaps the biggest loser of the day after he lost almost 3½ minutes.
It means his race for the yellow jersey is definitely over.
However, riders like Ireland’s Martin and Pinot will now be given more leeway to go in breakaways and chase stage honours when the road goes skyward.
For Sam Bennett of Bora Argon 18; today's outing was a valuable learning experience.
However, as he was coming back from the cavalcade to rejoin the peloton, a crash occurred right in front of him.
He just about avoided coming down, though he rode into the crashed riders. The impact buckled his wheel, forcing him to change it and get going again.
He finished 168th, almost 17 minutes down in a large group of some 40 riders.
The Carrick fast man in his debut Tour will perhaps get a chance to contest a bunch sprint tomorrow when the race travels 189 kilometres from Arras to Amiens on a flat parcours.
Stage 4: Seraing to Cambrai - 223.5 km
1. Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx-QuickStep in 5-28-58
2. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin at 3 secs
3. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN-Qhubeka
6. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis
7. Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Katusha
8. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal
9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-QuickStep
10. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Europcar all same time
43. Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky @51secs
105. Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin Cannondale @5:35
168. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora Argon 18 @16.53
General Classification
1. Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx-QuickStep in 12-40-26
2. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 12 secs
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 25 secs
4. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal at 38 secs
5. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo at 39 secs
6. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 40 secs
7. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx-QuickStep at 46 secs
8. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 48 secs
9. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky at 1-15
10. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-QuickStep at 1-16
35. Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin Cannondale @7:52
68. Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky @12.18
173. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora Argon 18 @31.19
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