Dan Martin battling to the finish at the Vuelta today, a bandage on his right shin just about visible (Photo: Sirotti)
Dan Martin lost time to some of his closest rivals on general classification in the Vuelta a Espana today, the Irish man riding well but apparently suffering from the ill effects of a crash in recent days.
The Garmin Sharp man has been taking antibiotics since his crash on Sunday's stage 15 to prevent against a shin wound that required stitching from becoming infected.
Today on the 157km road from A Estrada to Monte Castrove en Meis, Martin was in the group of main favourites when the race exploded in the last 3km up the final climb to the finish.
With the early escape swept up and Jerome Coppel (Cofidis) attacking the group and gaining a small advantage, it was rising Italian star Fabio Aru (Astana) that ripped things apart when he made a massive burst for home with just under 4km remaining.
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He quickly caught and passed the French man and pressed on alone furiously, with Coppel's team mate Daniele Navarro going after him but Jaoquim Rodriguez (Katusha) taking things into his own hands almost immediately, attacking the group and dragging the big names of this race with him.
When Froome broke clear of the quartet chasing stage winner Aru in the final kilometres, Valverde drove after him trying to hold on to his 2nd place overall.
As Aru kept dancing on the pedals just seconds up ahead, the pressure applied by Rodriguez dragged race leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo), 2nd placed Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and 3rd placed Chris Froome with him.
Martin was in the next group on the road, with a couple of riders in between, including Samuel Sanchez (BMC) who started the day in 8th place, just two spots and 38 seconds down on the Irish man.
Up front, it was Froome who would prove strongest of the four chasing Aru and he jumped after the Italian with 2.5km remaining and quickly joined him.
From that point the Team Sky leader did most of the work, trying to put time in Valverde, who was towing Contador and Rodriguez as he tried to limit his losses to Froome who was about to leapfrog him into 2nd overall.
Fabio Aru takes a great stage win just head of Chris Froome who seems to be really coming good after a testing season.
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While Aru came through a did some pulls in the front, so committed was Froome to the task of getting to the line as fast as possible that Aru demolished the two-up sprint to the line to take his second stage win of the race.
Froome came home one second later, with a further 12 seconds elapsing before Valverde got the sprint for 3rd from Rodriguez and Contador.
Sanchez was next just four seconds back followed by Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) 16 seconds later before Martin arrived in a small group for 12th place.
He was 48 seconds down on Aru and crucially lost 31 seconds to Sanchez; now leading him in 6th by just 7 seconds. The man who had been one place behind Martin, Robert Gesink (Belkin) was forced out of the race, travelling to be with his pregnant wife who is ill.
Martin has had a great race thus far and barring disaster is set to finish 6th or 7th, though the effects of his crash and his treatment for it appear to be weighing on him as what has been the race of the year nears a close.
Contador is looking good for overall victory. But with a savage day in the mountains still to come on Saturday and a concluding time trial on Sunday - and with Froome riding better now than at any point in this race - anything could happen.
Stage 18: A Estrada - Monte Castrove en Meis (157km)
1 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 3:47:17
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:01
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:13
4 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
5 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo
6 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:00:17
7 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:00:33
8 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:00:48
9 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale
10 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano
11 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) MTN - Qhubeka
12 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp
13 Dominik Nerz (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:01:12
14 Jérôme Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
15 Peio Bilbao (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
45 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 0:08:11
General Classification
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 71:38:37
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:19
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:32
4 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha 0:02:29
5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:03:15
6 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp 0:06:52
7 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:06:59
8 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano 0:09:12
9 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:09:44
10 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale 0:09:45
11 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:12:49
12 Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Team Sky 0:14:15
13 Romain Sicard (Fra) Team Europcar 0:18:15
14 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:20:05
15 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Team Katusha 0:21:55
44 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 1:33:16
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