Dan Martin put in another typically aggressive shift this afternoon on stage 19 of the Tour de France, finishing seventh and moving up to ninth overall on general classification.
By Brian Canty
Dan Martin put in another gutsy performance in today’s 19th stage of the Tour de France, taking seventh on the stage and moving up one place to ninth overall.
The Etixx-QuickStep man finished 36 seconds down on stage winner Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) who claimed a memorable win and climbed to second overall, albeit 4’ 11” down on race leader Chris Froome.
The Team Sky rider had a tough ol’ afternoon and though he crashed with 11 kilometres to go, broke his bike, sustained serious road rash and required a bike from teammate Geraint Thomas he actually ended the day with a healthier buffer at the top of the general classification than he started with.
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That was because the man in second, Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo) also crashed, though he lost a whopping 4’26” to the stage winner and dropped to 10th overall.
It allowed Bardet climb to second while Nairo Quintana (Movistar) moved up one place to third after shifting Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) off the podium, though just 19 seconds separate them.
Martin had few complaints afterwards and though there’s another massive day in the Alps tomorrow, he’s happy with his lot so far.
“I stayed relaxed all day, the guys helped me the best way they could and I had strong legs,” said Martin.
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“I knew Bardet was up the road and that's why I decided to attack.
“I felt I could go for the stage win, especially as I didn't think there was an interest in chasing me.
“Still, despite being caught, I'm glad I had this go,” he added.
Inside the top 10 general classification after almost three weeks is a place the 29-year-old has never found himself before and though it’s unlikely he’ll move up he’s content that he’s given it his all.
“The time I've lost comes down to experience, which is something you get with learning.
“I’m definitely one of the best guys on the climbs here in the race, so in the winter I will work more on my time trial, because I saw that I can fight for a good overall in the Tour de France.”
Sam Bennett endured another tough slog to make it to the finish as he finished 150th over half an hour down in a group of 70.
He’s got one more mountain stage to go tomorrow as the riders travel from Megeve to Morzine over four categorised climbs, the last of which is the hors categorie ascent of Col de Joux Plane.
After tomorrow his mind will be trained on Paris for Sunday’s final showdown where he will have one last crack at salvaging something from what has been a nightmare race.
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