Dan Martin required stitches to a gash on his leg after crashing down a ravine, but he battled back and gained significantly on the general standings on Vuelta stage 15.
By Brian Canty
Ireland’s Dan Martin has jumped to seventh overall at the Vuelta a Espana following a truly epic stage 15 from Oviedo to Lagos de Covadonga.
The Garmin-Sharp rider looked in serious danger of dropping way down the general standings today when he fell almost 1'40" behind the main peloton at one stage following a bike change that proved less than straight-forward.
The chase back on for Martin came at a time when the pace was really on and necessitated many of his team-mates dropping back to assist him back up. And it wasn't until around the 20km to go mark that the Irishman regained contact with the main field.
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During his pursuit of the bunch, Martin suffered a terrible fall when he plunged down a ravine on a treacherous section of road and suffered a gash to his leg as well as some bruising.
However, he managed to haul himself back up onto the road and amazingly regained the bunch before the real attacking began.
Martin wasn't the only Garmin-Sharp rider in the wars today; David Millar assesses the damage after a tumble.
Many feared Martin would not be able to come anywhere near stage glory. And the top 10 on general classification he has fought so hard to get after a below-par time trial last week also looked in real danger.
But he limited his losses to just 28 seconds on the stage winner Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida), and jumped up three places overall.
"I went five metres down a ravine," explained Martin this evening.
"That downhill was unbelievably dangerous, as slippy as ice but I feel really good. It was a massive scare.
"But my incredible teammates saved my Vuelta. Somebody clipped my front wheel and I just went down, I got a few stitches in my shin but I'll be back fighting tomorrow."
Indeed, Martin's teammates almost paid a heavy price and some even looked like they would miss the time limit, with seven of them down between 22 and 29 minutes.
The three big guns of Spanish cycling battling the slopes of their home tour today. Left to right, Rodriguez, Contador, Valverde, with Astana's Aru partially obscured.
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Niemiec hung on to claim stage honours having been in the day’s early break; holding off overall race favourites Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and race leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), who were second, third and fourth respectively.
Martin crossed the line in seventh place on the summit finish, some 28 seconds behind Niemiec, and managed to jump three places in general classification.
He can now set his sights on breaking into the top five as he finished ahead of those who this morning occupied the positions just ahead of him on the general standings but who fell away in the final skyward kilometres today.
He is 4:55 down on the red jerseyed Contador and is out of the running for outright glory but could well move inside the top five in the final week of the race.
Valverde is second at 31 seconds, with Team Sky’s Chris Froome third at 1:20.
Tomorrow is another brute of a stage, with the riders set to tackle three category one climbs and two category two ascents on the 160km leg from San Martin del Rey Aurelio to La Farrapona.
Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) takes stage 15 from Oviedo to Lagos de Covadonga.
Stage 15: Oviedo - Lagos de Covadonga 152km
1 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida 4:11:09
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:05
3 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
4 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:10
5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:17
6 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
7 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp 0:00:28
8 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano 0:00:44
9 Rigoberto Urán (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:01:00
10 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Team Katusha
11 Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:01:07
12 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha
13 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:01:46
14 Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Team Sky
15 Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:58
35 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 0:10:48
General Classification
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 58:31:35
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:31
3 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:20
4 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:02:22
6 Rigoberto Urán (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:02:57
7 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp 0:04:55
8 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:05:02
9 Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:05:11
10 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano 0:06:36
11 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale 0:06:49
12 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:07:14
13 Winner Anacona Gomez (Col) Lampre-Merida 0:07:41
14 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:08:15
15 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:09:08
49 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 1:05:57
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