Dan Martin piles on the pressure in biblical conditions on the final climb with big guns Froome, Quintana and Porte behind (Photo: Sirotti)
By Brian Canty
Dan Martin has delivered an awesome performance in horrendous conditions to move up to third on general classification at the Tour de France.
The Irishman was 14th across the line in a group of just six men, all of whom must now be regarded as the front-runners for the yellow jersey in this year’s race.
Among them were race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky), Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team).
Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) took a great solo win having emerged strongest of the early breakaway, but the real fireworks were going off in GC men’s group down the road.
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Martin looked like he’d spent himself on the final climb to the finish at Andorra-Arcalis and appeared in serious trouble with a couple of kilometres to go but he somehow found the strength to stay with the top GC men.
He’s never one to hold his fire and he launched a couple of searing attacks on that final ramp to the line, keen to put some daylight between himself and the group he was in.
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He started the stage just 17 seconds down on Froome so was always likely to play the waiting game; hoping for others to crack and fall away one by one.
And when Martin sensed the time was right he put the boot down and jumped clear, only to be reeled in by subsequent attacks from those in that front group.
Those counter-attacks had Martin under pressure and he became distanced from the Froome group inside the final 1,500 metres, only to rally and summon the strength to haul himself back onto the tail-end of the group.
The line couldn’t come soon enough for him and he crossed the line utterly shattered.
But his Tour de France dreams remain well and truly alive as the riders head into the first rest day of this year’s race tomorrow.
He’ll have a chance to gather himself before hostilities resume on Tuesday and a few easier days are expected before Thursday’s showdown to Mont Ventoux.
It was another savage test for Sam Bennett who was in the grupetto that finished almost 40 minutes down.
He is now last overall in 197th but he is still in the race and to get this far, given his condition is an almighty achievement in itself.
General Classification top 10
1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 44:36:03
2 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:00:16
3 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx-QuickStep 0:00:19
4 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 0:00:23
5 Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha 0:00:37
6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:44
7 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
8 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Team Sky
9 Louis Meintjes (RSA) Lampre-Merida 0:00:55
10 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:01
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