Hit by a car in April, bouncing back to win the Tour of Belgium in May, Tony Martin had to be content with second in today’s time trial in the Critérium du Dauphiné. Riding a top gear of 58 x 11, he was unable to repeat his stage victory of one year earlier because of the superiority of another in the race.
The world time trial champion was beaten by the rider who took silver in the worlds last autumn, Bradley Wiggins. The Sky Procycling rider dominated the test, posting a time 34 seconds better than that of the German, and reinforcing his overall lead in the race.
The defeat was a frustrating one for Martin, who wants to honour his rainbow jersey when possible, but he said that he also understood why things didn’t quite click.
"Today I had no super legs. It took a while to get into the rhythm of the race. At the beginning I wasn't really concentrated, but I got better,” he said. “I know when and why I lost, so it is okay for me. Bradley did a great race. As for me, maybe today I was a little bit tired. I did a lot of training for the Tour of Belgium, and a lot of training after the race to prepare for the Tour de France."
It’s worth considering the haul of injuries Martin ended up with due to in his impact with the car on April 11th. He suffered fractures to his cheekbone, jawbone and eye socket, as well as small fractures in his left shoulder blade and upper arm. As a result it’s understandable if he isn’t feeling as good right now as he was in this race one year ago.
Martin’s response contrasted with that of Omega Pharma Quick Step team-mate Sylvain Chavanel, who was rather more pleased with his fifth place in the test. While he was three places and 59 seconds behind Martin, he was much more upbeat than the German about the performance.
One reason was because he’s less of a TT specialist; the other is because it puts him in the frame to clock up an important national title later this month.
"I am really happy about this performance. This stage was really a time trial for the specialists, so the fact that I am there amongst the best of the peloton is a good sign for me,” he said. “It means that I've worked a lot and am going in the right direction. I am now looking forward to the next races with more ambitions. The time trial national championship will be an objective.”
Chavanel dropped his bottle very early on and, worrying about that, he said that his concentration was affected as a result. However he knuckled down again and was able to clock the fastest time at the 18 kilometre checkpoint and hang on for that top five finish at the finish.
“It was a good result…I am happy. Everyone knows I like time trials and I like these kinds of races,” he said. “Now that I've solved my back problems, and have no pain anymore, I can really train on my time trial bike."
The duo are second and fourth overall heading into the mountain stages. Martin is 38 seconds behind Wiggins, while Chavanel is exactly one minute further back at this point in time.
Wiggins has a comfortable buffer but the fact that Omega Pharma Quick Step has two riders in the top five means that it can play a tactical game in trying to win the race.