Martin climbs to strong fifth at the Dauphiné

Daniel Martin placed fifth on the Queen stage of this edition of the Criterium du Dauphiné. The stage took the riders from Saint-Genix-les-Villages to Les-Sept-Laux-Pipay in just 133.5 kilometers and featured four major climbs, 3 Cat.1 and the final summit a HC. Riders battled harsh conditions at the finish which made for an epic day in the saddle.

“There were a lot of climbs today and it was a real tester for the legs” said Daniel Martin “ the weather conditions were difficult with the temperature dropping so much in the last 5 kilometers, it was really cold out there. I tried to make the best of it; in the end the race was very tactical, with everyone looking at each other. Fifth is pretty decent and tells me that the condition is there. We’ll try again tomorrow. “

Victory on the day went to Team Ineos with Dutchman Wauter Poels leading Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and the German Emanuel Buchman (Bora-Hansgrohe) over the finish line. In the overall standings, Fuglsang leaps into the lead with a slim 8 ” over Adam Yates and 20 ” over Van Garderen. Daniel Martin rises to tenth position, 1’21 ’’ behind Fuglsang.

Tomorrow is a short but sharp final stage at Cluses in Champery, with 113 kilometers and including seven mountain passes.

Stage 7 results:

1 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky 4:01:34
2 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team +1’’
3 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe +1’’
5 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates +10”

General classification after stage 7:

1 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 27:36:40
2 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott +8’’
3 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) EF Education First +20’’
10 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates +1’21’’