Dan Martin looks to have put a crash-hit and indifferent 2015 behind him, with an early win backed up with a really strong ride right down to the wire in Catalunya.
Having won Wednesday’s stage 3 in the mountains in dominant fashion and taken the race lead, Dan Martin finished 3rd overall at the conclusion of the Volta A Catalunya on Sunday.
The Etixx-Quickstep rider claimed a mountain stage and the race outright back in 2013 and while his slipping from the leader’s jersey on stage 4 this time around was a disappointment, he seemed reborn in recent days.
Without a win of any description last year and plagued with crashes – especially in classics and Grand Tours where he would have been in contention – Martin left the Cannondale-Garmin team in the winter for his new Belgian-based out.
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A win in early February at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana suggested the 29-year-old had settled well and was keen to impress in his new surroundings.
And the manner of his riding at times in the last week suggest he is very much back on track after an unlucky and indifferent 2015.
Above, chasing the bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint points in a bid to move onto the podium - Martin seems to have his hunger back.
On Wednesday, Martin blasted ahead of all of the main favourites on the final slopes up to the summit finish at La Molina with two seconds to spare over runner-up Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) with Frenchman Roman Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) rounding out the podium.
As well as besting the Spaniard and the Frenchman, Martin also distanced Esteban Chaves (Orica GreenEdge), Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas (Team Sky), Tejay Van Garderen and Richie Porte (BMC Racing) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar).
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The following day Quintana and Contador rode away from the Irish race leader on the second summit finish of the race on stage 4 and Martin slipped to 4th overall.
He retained that overall placing on Friday’s stage 5 and Saturday’s stage 6.
However, on the lumpy circuit race around Barcelona on Sunday, Martin snatched a one second time bonus at an intermediate sprint and drew level with Porte on time on the general standings; behind Quintana and Contador.
And when both Martin and Porte finished in a 26-rider select group 14 seconds behind the top three on the stage, they were locked on time overall.
But Martin took 3rd on the basis of his better placing in the points competition. Katusha’s Alexei Tcatevich took the stage after surviving from the early escape.
Sun, Mar 27th: Barcelona-Barcelona (136km)
1 Aleksei Tsatevich (Rus) Team Katusha 3:13:33
2 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
3 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) IAM Cycling 0:00:14
4 Wouter Poels (Ned) Team Sky
5 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-GreenEdge
6 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling
7 Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
8 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert
10 Carlos Barbero (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
14 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step same time
DNF Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky
Final General Classification
1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 30:50:19
2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:00:07
3 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:17
4 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team
5 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:27
6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:31
7 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:00:42
8 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:46
9 Hugh Carthy (GBr) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:01:01
10 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:01:16
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