Nine days ago Dan Martin and his UAE Team Emirates squad were on the ropes. But now the Irishman has shown the kind of form he has been searching for for months; and just in time for the Tour de France. Martin failed to get onto the final podium today, as he has done on the last stage of this race for the past two years. But, without question, his season is on the rails and moving forward.
UAE Team Emirates went into the Critérium du Dauphiné with their two star signings having failed to fire since the start of the season.
Nine days later the squad knows that at least one those big money men, Dan Martin, is back on the right track.
Just as bemoaning his bad luck was beginning to wear thin, Martin has pulled a really solid week out of the bag.
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Today he looked slightly sketchy towards the end of the final stage to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc.
He would relinquish time to the three men ahead of him overall this morning. He claimed 6th on the stage, some 24 seconds down on Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).
And in the closing stages of the last climb of the race Martin had been distanced by his general classification rivals.
Race winner Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) was 5th on the stage, some five seconds ahead of Martin. And Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) was 3rd, some 15 seconds ahead of the Irishman.
The result saw Thomas take the 2018 title by 1:00 from Yates, with Bardet 3rd at 1:47. Then followed Martin at 2:35.
Tao Geoghegan Hart rides out of his skin – not for the first time this season - leading overall winner Geraint Thomas. Romain Bardet finishes the final stage, in 3rd place and took the same position overall. Yates breaks Navarro’s heart, claiming the final stage and 2nd overall.
Martin will know, of course, that the field in this year’s race was not one with real quality in depth.
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Only a very small number of those involved in the fight for the final podium could be regarded as Tour contenders.
And the reality is that Martin performed better at this race, against a higher quality field, both last year and the year before.
But his stage win this time out, and the manner of his climbing, suggest he is firmly back on track after a poor first half to 2018.
Because Martin’s poor form has coincided with his move to UAE Team Emirates, both factors were conflated.
Doubt was beginning to set in about the wisdom of the move. But those jitters have been calmed; for the time being at any rate.
#ICYMI
? The last stage for Adam Yates and the general classification for Geraint Thomas. Watch the summary of stage 7 of this 70th Critérium du Dauphiné.#Dauphiné pic.twitter.com/0MqBm5QaQN— Critérium du Dauphiné (@dauphine) June 10, 2018
He will need to go considerably better at the Tour de France if he is to improve on his career best 6th place overall from last year.
However, he has time to add some polish to the form he has finally shown for the first time this year. He at least now has some form to add polish to.
On today’s final stage Yates and Bardet were the strongest at the pointy end.
Yates would take the stage win by overhauling Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) just before the finish.
Navarro was the sole survivor from the early breakaway and his being caught and passed within touching distance of the finish line was cruel.
Both Yates and Bardet managed to distance Thomas and Martin after an aggressive finale.
However, Geraint Thomas had punctured twice during the stage and did well to hold his shape.
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