No fairytale ending for Dan Martin on sweltering Ventoux, though GC challenge taking shape

No dice today for Dan Martin - rider in blue kit, on right - but there is plenty of climbing to come in this year's Tour that should suit the Irishman.

Gavin McLoughlin

Ireland’s Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche were unable to match the pace of a dominant Team Sky on stage 15 of the Tour de France today, Sunday. The day concluded atop the famous Mont Ventoux, and Martin was distanced about 8 kilometres from the summit as the pace of Sky’s Richie Porte shattered the race to pieces.

The Garmin-Sharp leader finished 14th on the stage, 2:36 behind eventual winner Chris Froome. Martin remains 11th overall and will start Tuesday’s stage at 8:28 behind Froome’s race lead.

Martin had characterised this stage as an important one for him and the Irishman will be disappointed to have been absent from the pointy end.

But all suffered at the hands of the British outfit and the final week of the race will provide more opportunities for the stage 9 victor.

Saxo-Tinkoff’s Nicolas Roche was also dropped on Ventoux, losing contact with the overall favourites with about 13km left to the finish line. Roche would have liked to stay with team leader Contador for longer, but in the end it made no difference as Froome was on another level today.

Roche has done a lot of good work for his team in this race but it will be an awesome challenge to bring Froome back now. The Sky leader is 4:14 clear of his nearest rival.

Today the riders faced the longest stage of this year’s Tour, a 243 kilometre slog from Givors to the summit of Mont Ventoux. Attacks were plentiful at the beginning of the day as riders fought to get into the day’s break, and eventually a ten-man contingent got clear.

Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) were among the escapees.

The average speed in the first two hours was an ungodly 49.3kph, and it was too much for Julien El Farès (Sojasun). The Frenchman was dropped from the breakaway group, leaving nine hopefuls to press on out front.

Movistar were demonstrating their ambitions early on, with the Spanish outfit firmly ensconced at the head of the peloton. They led the bunch almost all the way to the foot of the mountain, with Euskaltel-Euskadi briefly taking a turn before the Team Sky train slotted into formation.

Chavanel attacked his breakaway companions and he was the first to start the 20.8 kilometre ascent of Ventoux. The gap to the yellow jersey stood 1:45, but with Froome’s lieutenants forcing the bunch up the lower slopes, the Frenchman was slowly but surely being reeled in.

The roadside was teeming with spectators, and the attacks began to come with just under 14 kilometres remaining. Jan Bakelants (Radioshack-Leopard) and Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) jumped away from the bunch in quick succession, with Nieve quickly able to catch and pass the Belgian.

Chavanel was struggling and his time out front ended with a whimper. Behind, Roche was suffering too, and the Irishman was shortly dropped.

Nairo Quintana had been hugely impressive in the Pyrenees and it was no surprise when the diminutive Colombian climber was next to go. Before long he had caught Nieve and this duo began to pull out an advantage at the head of the race.

Less than 10 kilometres remained and Martin was still alongside the overall favourites. The Irishman was breathing hard near the rear of the group as rider after rider was distanced. And when Richie Porte (Sky) turned the screw at the front, Martin could no longer sustain the pace and he too lost contact.

There were shades of the stage to Ax-3 Domaines as Porte’s tempo blew the group to bits. Only Froome and Roche’s team leader Alberto Contador were able to stay with the Australian.

This trio was gaining on the two leaders and before long Quintana left Nieve behind. With 7km remaining, Froome kicked strongly and sprinted away from Contador, leaving the Spaniard for dead. Just 500 metres later and the Briton caught and then sped past Quintana, before slowing up and allowing the Colombian to rejoin.

Both men looked comfortable and the duo worked together as the summit drew nearer, the road cutting a path through the rocky, moon-like landscape. Contador and the rest were falling further behind all the time.

It looked like Froome might allow Quintana to take the stage win, but there were no gifts as the Briton would accelerate away from his companion with just over a kilometre to go. Crossing the line with one arm in the air and a satisfied smile on his face, the Sky leader mightily strengthened his grip on the race lead.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Vaucluse before the action resumes on Tuesday with a hilly 168 kilometre leg from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap. The final climb of the stage – the second-category Col de Manse – peaks 12 kilometres out before a downhill run to the finish line.

Roche’s Saxo-Tinkoff team will continue to support Contador, but with the Spaniard’s chances of overall glory significantly weakened, perhaps the Irishman will have more leeway to go stage-hunting for himself.

Though the day is less arduous than the stage Martin won in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, its climax is reminiscent of the terrain on which the Garmin-Sharp leader launched his successful attack. Keep your fingers crossed for another shot at Irish glory.

@gavmcloughlin