Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche in world of pain as Alpe d'Huez offers no hiding places

With two passage of Alpe d'Huez, today's 18th stage of the Tour de France but even the very best in the race under extreme pressure.

By Gavin McLoughlin

It was a bitterly disappointing day for Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche on stage 18 of the Tour de France today, Thursday.

After struggling yesterday in a time-trial that looked to suit his characteristics, Garmin-Sharp leader Martin cracked totally on today’s incredibly difficult queen stage.

His prospects looked grim from the very beginning. The first climb of the day arrived 7 kilometres in, and with Roche’ Saxo-Tinkoff team keeping the pace high at the front, Martin was distanced by the overall favourites.

Thereafter, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner did manage to re-establish contact with the overall contenders in the valley that came after that first climb.

But when the race reached the first of two ascents of the legendary Alpe d’Huez, Martin could not withstand the pace for long and was dropped for good with about 60 kilometres remaining.

It was a long ride home and the Irishman ultimately arrived at the finish line in a large group that crossed 25:10 behind stage winner Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale).

He falls to 19^th on general classification, 34:22 behind race leader Chris Froome (Sky) and almost 20 minutes outside the top ten overall.

Though Martin did not have the legs today, his race was already made with that wonderful triumph on stage 9 from Saint-Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Discounting even that, he has had the best season of any Irish cyclist in over two decades.

Nicolas Roche was aggressive in the early part of today’s stage, with the Irishman among the Saxo-Tinkoff riders putting Martin under pressure on the first climb. In the valley, Roche tried to bridge across to the break of the day, but he was caught in no man’s land and this move ultimately failed.

Roche propelled himself out of the peloton again at the base of the day’s second climb, riding up the road with teammate Sergio Paulinho. The move appeared to foreshadow a later attack from Saxo-Tinkoff leader Alberto Contador.

Roche did the vast-majorityof the work on the flatter roads, and he and his teammate still dangled ahead of the bunch by the time Alpe d’Huez arrived for the first time. Paulinho patted Roche on the backside in thanks for his efforts before pressing up the climb alone, leaving the Irishman to be swallowed up by the bunch.

Having expended so much energy before the Alpe, it was no surprise that Roche struggled on the double ascent. He arrived at the finish line at 30:03 behind stage winner Riblon.

Roche’s toil ultimately came to nothing as despite Froome suffering a 20 second time penalty for an illegal feed, Contador lost more time to the race leader.

Since the route of this race was announced, today’s stage had looked set to be the most epic. The famous Alpe d’Huez climb would be scaled twice in the course of a very challenging 173 kilometre trek from Gap to the summit of the legendary ascent.

The beginning of the stage was action-packed as Roche’s Saxo-Tinkoff squad were ultra-aggressive on the first climb, with rider after rider darting away and putting those with tired legs under severe pressure.

Martin was one of those in trouble. The Irishman was distanced by the favourites, and though the stage had just begun it looked like he was in for a very long day.

The break of the day formed on the descent of the climb as a group of nine including Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), Christophe Riblon (AG2R- La Mondiale) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was permitted to go clear.

Roche tried to bridge across to the break but it was too much work for one man and the Irishman eventually took his place alongside team leader Alberto Contador in the main bunch.

The formation of the escape meant that hostilities ceased in the peloton, and this allowed Martin’s group to re-establish contact.

Roche attacked the peloton again near the bottom of the second climb, joined on this occasion by Paulinho.

This time the move stayed away and the Irishman drove the duo all the way to the foot of the Alpe. A spent Roche was then re-absorbed by the pack with the Sky domestiques in formation on the front.

Up the road, Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) was the strongest of the escapees and after the young American distanced his companions he kept turning the pedals over strongly with dreams of an epic triumph.

But back the road there would be no glory for Martin as the Irishman found himselfdropped again on the lower slopes of the Alpe. The Garmin-Sharp leader was distanced a long way out and seemed set to lose an ocean of time.

Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) and Andy Schleck (Nissan-Trek) were among those who attacked out of the favourites’ group, but Froome’s closest rivals kept their powder dry on the first scaling of the Alpe.

Out front, Van Garderen was tiring and he was captured by Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Moreno Moser(Cannondale) just shy of the summit.

This trio were over eight minutes clear of the yellow jersey group and when they crossed the top of the mountain it was looking increasingly likely that the stage win would go to one of their number.

Next up for the escapees was the short, sharp climb of the second-category Col de Sarenne. Here, Moser lost contact with Riblon and Van Garderen, and now there were two out front.

On the technical, poorly-surfaced descent of the Sarenne, the unfortunate Van Garderen suffered a mechanical problem, and he was left standing on the roadside as Moser managed to get back to Riblon on the downhill.

This duo plunged down together for a time, but on a damp corner Riblon ran off the road and into a small stream, leaving Moser to charge ahead on his own.

Rain had been predicted before the stage and now some menacing spots of drizzle began to appear. When the favourites came to the tricky descent of the Sarenne, Alberto Contador began to put the pressure on Froome, and the Spaniard slowly drew out a small advantage.

Riblon had managed to get back to Moser by the bottom of the descent, and Van Garderen was now 30 seconds behind. Contador was reeled back in by Froome’s teammates in the valley as Van Garderen managed to re-establish contact with the two leaders.

He, Riblon and Moser came to the bottom of the climb as one, but Moser was ejected out the rear when the tarmac ramped up.

Behind, Movistar were setting a fierce tempo as the favourites approached the base of the Alpe. Van Garderen and Riblon were still over five minutes ahead, but the gap was coming down quickly and the American rider was spurred into action. Again his power distanced his rivals and it seemed a famous victory drew nearer.

Many were suffering in the Froome group and when the race-leader put in a small attack on the lower slopes of the climb, the group thinned right out. Froome waited for top lieutenant Richie Porte to rejoin him, and the Tasmanian set the pace for a short while.

But before long, Froome jumped away again. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and eventually Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) managed to ride across to him, but Contador was beaten.

Surprisingly, Froome seemed to be in a bit of difficulty. For a time, Rodriguez and Quintana managed to pull out a number of bike lengths, but eventually Froome managed to close the gaps.

When Richie Porte bridged across to his team leader and took up the reins again, Froome looked to get on the radio to ask for Porte to slow down.

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And then there came huge drama as Froome raised his hand and looked around for his team car.The nature of his problem became clear when Porte was sent back to the team car to retrieve some energy gels: the race leader was entering hunger knock territory.

Froome’s moment of weakness inspired a strong attack from Quintana, the stony-faced Colombian riding away from Rodriguez as the Sky men languished behind. Out front, Van Garderen was struggling hugely and Riblon was gaining on him.

The Frenchman caught Van Garderen with two kilometres to go and accelerated straight past. A big smile formed on Riblon’s lips as he strongly took his bike all the way home, deliriously punching the air in triumph as the line neared. What a way to take the first French stage win of the race.

Rodriguez had caught Quintana and those men were the first of the overall contenders to cross the line, Quintana at 2:12 behind the winner and Rodriguez at 2:15.

Froome arrived 3:18 behind Riblon, but after the stage he was penalised twenty seconds as his final feed occurred after the 6km cut-off point for riders to receive sustenance from the team cars.

Despite this penalty, the Briton still extended his race lead. He is now 5:11 clear of Alberto Contador in second.

Tomorrow is the penultimate mountain stage, a 205 kilometre leg from Bourg d’Oisans to Le Grand Bornand. Two hors-categorie mountains will be tackled in the first half of the course, and these could tempt one of Froome’s rivals to launch a desperate long-range stab at taking back some time.

However, the critical action is likely to come on the final climb of the day, the Col de la Croix Fry. That climb peaks 13 kilometres out before a downhill run to the finish, so again the terrain is similar to the stage Martin won in Bagnères-de-Bigorre.

But it looks like another brute of a stage and after his bad day today it is difficult to see Martin contending for a stage win unless he gets into a successful breakaway.

Roche will again be at the service of Contador, but if the Spaniard couldn’t reduce his deficit when Froome was suffering it is unlikely he will do any better tomorrow.

@gavmcloughlin