Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) looked much stronger on today's stage 9 of the Tour de France when he burst into life having endured a low-key opening week.
The Irish cyclist fractured a bone in his back racing last month and faced a fitness battle to even get to the start line of the Tour nine days ago. Though he had been quiet over the first week, he showed himself today when he and Nicolas Roche (Team Sunweb) were very active in the opening exchanges.
Repeated efforts were made by a very large number of riders to form a breakaway before the first climbs today and Martin joined that action, looking among the very strongest when he had a dig.
On another day he would have made the breakaway but unfortunately his work came to nothing as the escapes were repeatedly neutralised, with Roche putting in his own efforts but also finding it impossible to get clear on the 153km from Pau to Laruns.
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Marc Hirschi (Team Sunweb) then went clear on the Col de la Hourcère and a chase group formed behind him.
The young Swiss rider flew down off the climb and with 60km to go to the stage end he had just over three minutes on the chasers and over four minutes on the yellow jersey group.
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As the stage continued, and the riders tackled the Col d'Ichere before the Col de Marie Blanque, he continued to lead solo. The favourites' group constantly got smaller after overhauling the group that had been chasing Hirschi.
On the final climb, race leader Adam Yates (Mitcheton-Scott) lost his place in the favourites' group, which was eventually reduced to just Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain McLaren).
That group closed in on lone leader Hirschi and caught him with just over 2km to go. And while Hirschi contested the sprint finish and very nearly won it, Pogacar was first across the line from Roglic and then Hirschi.
Just 11 seconds behind them came another very strong group containing Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Romain Bardet (AG2R la Mondiale), Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling) and Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic).
Yates finished in a group 54 seconds down alongside the likes of Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo Visma).
The result meant the yellow jersey changed hands; Roglic taking it for the first time with Bernal, who attacked on the final climb and also looked much stronger on the flat today, in 2nd place at 21 seconds. Guillaume Martin is 3rd at 28 seconds and Bardet is 4th at 30 seconds.
Despite his efforts early in the stage, Dan Martin held his shape well and finished in 30th at 5:47. He will be buoyed by the fact he played a part in animating the racing today.
Nicolas Roche (Team Sunweb) and Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) finished in a large group 29:27 down.
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