Martin prepares to launch his move on the road to Girona today
Dan Martin (Garmin-Barracuda) made much of the running in the closing kilometres of today’s second stage of the Volta a Catalunya, attacking over the top of the final climb and making a brave bid for stage victory with two others.
However, he and his breakaway companions were overhauled just before the finish in Girona by a 30-strong group that emerged at the head of the race when the field split going up the final first category ascent.
Nicolas Roche (Ag2r) did not enjoy as smooth a ride, finding himself in one of the many chasing groups as the field descended off the Alt dels Angels, crested just 14kms from the finish.
He would eventually come home in the third chasing group, 2:09 down on stage winner and still GC leader Michael Albasini (GreenEdge).
Advertisement
Roche had been suffering from flu as recently as late last week, seeing him confined to his sick bed for a number of days and hindering his preparation for this week.
For Dan Martin’s Catalunya GC rivals, the signs were not good today.
The 2011 Vuelta stage winner has kept a very low profile in recent weeks but when the road went up today he always looked the mostly likely to strike.
His team closed down some early attacks on the final climb and as the lead group got close to the summit, Martin attacked out of it and blasted over the top and down the other side towards the finish.
He was joined in his endeavour by Damiano Cunego (Lampre) and Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil).
While they were still ahead by around 10 to 15 seconds when they hit the flat roads after coming down off the mountain, Martin’s urging on of the other two did not seem to encourage them into riding any harder. And with an organised chase in the group behind, the leading trio were recaptured with a couple of kilometres to go.
On the run-in to the finish, Paris-Nice winner Bradley Wiggins assumed lead-out duties for Sky team mate Rigoberto Uran. But just as the Colombian was about to start his gallop, Albasini got the jump on everyone, opening a gap that he easily maintained to the line.
It was his second stage win in two days, having won the Catalunya opener yesterday after dropping his breakaway companions for an impressive solo win.
Related News
With none of his fellow escapees from yesterday in today’s 31-rider leading group, Albasini now leads on GC by 1:32 from all of that lead group today, all of whom are on the same time on GC.
One significant name absent from the group was that of controversial Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). He crashed at the final feed zone and while he remounted, he finished in the group with Roche 2:09 down.
With a very hard mountain stage tomorrow, Wednesday, and no TT in this year’s event, Dan Martin must be a major favourite to at least improve on his third place on final GC last year.
(That result has since been upped to second following the stripping of results from the now banned 2011 Catalunya winner Alberto Contador).
Martin will of course still have to contend with the likes to Sky’s Richie Porte, who is most likely to be supported by Wiggins. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol and Robert Gesink (Rabobank) were also in today’s lead group and are likely to put up a strong GC challenge.
Tomorrow’s 211km stage is an absolute beast; with two first cat climbs and two hors cat ascents, including the summit finish at Port-Ainé.
Stage 2: Girona - Girona, 161km
1. Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge 3:52:07
2. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
3. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky
4. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD
5. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda
6. Sergio Pardilla Belllón (Spa) Movistar
7. Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ
8. Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Katusha all same time
11. Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda same time
97. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R @ 2:09
GC
1. Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge 7:12:11
2. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda @ 1:32
3. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R
4. Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC
5. Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ
6. Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda
7. Richie Porte (Aus) Sky
8. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol all same time
74. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R @3:41
Topics
