Damien Shaw looks focussed on the task at hand during the elite road race at the European Road Championships in France (Photo with thanks to Anne-Sophie Salaun)
By Brian Canty
Dan Martin continued his strong season by taking a fine 13th place in the European Championships elite road race in Plumelec, France, today.
The Etixx-QuickStep rider, representing Ireland in France, was in a group of eight just three seconds behind world champion Peter Sagan who led home Julian Alaphilippe of France and Spain’s Dani Moreno.
Martin’s group were sprinting for seventh and of the eight in the group he was seventh against similar puncheur-type riders like Philippe Gilbert, Diego Ulissi and Tony Gallopin.
The hilly 236-kilometre race in France’s Brittany region was characterised by a three-man break but when that was reeled in a number of more attacks followed.
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Of those, the most threatening was by Italian Moreno Moser who went solo with 15 kilometres remaining.
Martin was in the reduced group behind him at this point, waiting to seize the moment and he was still there when Moser was mopped up with 1,500 metres to go.
Sadly, so too was Sagan who positioned himself right towards the front of the race and though Spain’s Moreno led the peloton into the finishing straight, Sagan exploded clear with 200 meters to go and no one came close to taking his wheel.
The Slovakian took a clear victory ahead of Alaphilippe with Moreno settling for third.
Conor Dunne was the only other Irish finisher, the JLT-Condor Cycles man finishing 10:21 down in 93rd while Damien Shaw was listed as a non-finisher.
Dunne rode a particularly good race, staying with Dan Martin and doing what he felt was a decent job.
“I saved my legs a bit at start and tried to cover moves with 70 kilometres to go,” he said.
“I went further than I normally do into such a long race and tried to help Dan out a bit and do what I could.
“I was proud to put the Jersey on again, but I just didn't have the legs left in last 20 kilometres really.”
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