By Brian Canty
Dan Martin (Garmin-Barracuda) slipped back to fourth place at the Volta A Catalunya yesterday when GC rival Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) took an impressive solo victory on the penultimate stage of this year’s race to move into second overall.
The reigning Olympic champion took everyone by surprise when he escaped off the front of the peloton on the swift run-in to the finish in Badalona and though Martin notched eighth place on the stage, the Spaniard was two seconds quicker and holds that slender advantage going in to tomorrow’s final leg to Barcelona.
Just like the day before, Sanchez took off approaching the finish and demonstrated his exquisite descending ability to shrug off a chasing front group of around 60 riders.
With race leader Michael Albasini (GreenEdge Cycling team) and second placed Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Bellisol) also in that select group, Martin knew he needed to stay in touch to maintain his standing at the bottom step of the podium, but it was Sanchez who caught everyone unawares with a fine victory.
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Martin still has a chance to regain third, and possibly even higher in tomorrow’s final 120 kilometre stage into Barcelona and the hilly profile is one he’ll certainly attempt to get away on. Three category three climbs with a category two ascent of the Alt del Tibidado sandwiched in between is a stage he’ll relish but with 13 others tied on the same time as him, it should make for a tense final day.
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Stage 6 Results
1 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 4:04:50
2 Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:00:02
3 Julien Simon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
4 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD
6 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Pro Team Astana
8 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda
General Classification
1 Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge Cycling Team 21:28:43
2 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:30
3 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:01:32
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda @ s/t
5 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling @ s/t
6 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD @ s/t
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