Martin agonisingly second at Tour of Lombardy
Posted 15 October 2011
Dan Martin came agonisingly close to winning the Tour of Lombardy having to settle for second place behind suprise winner Olive Zaugg who stole a march on a select group inside the final ten kilometres of the race.
Martin (Garmin Cervelo) shook his head in digust after leading home a chase group of five riders just eight seconds behind the Leopard-Trek rider at the finish in Lecco.
Martin emerged at the front of the race on the final climb of the Salit di Ello where Zaugg made his racing winning move after a supercharged ascent led by Team Sky’s Thomas Lovkvist and Liquigas-Cannondale’s Ivan Basso.
The race had come together shortly before the climb after Team Sky put all its rescources into shutting down an ambitious attack from Vincenzo Nibali (Liguigas Cannodale).
The Italian had escaped on the legendary climb of the Madonna del Ghisallo establishing a lead of 1’20” over the summit with 45.5 kilometres of the 241 kilometre long race remaining.
Martin bided his time with Nicloas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) towards the head of the peloton as the Team Sky train carved into Nibali’s lead before reining him in with 16.5 kilometres to go.
Martin was perfectly placed as peloton started the final climb and was clearly in command as the lead group of 40 riders splintered over the 11.7% average gradient under the efforts of Lovkvist and Basso.
The Garmin-Cervelo man was sitting on Basso’s wheel when Zaugg came round them to launch his race winning attack with just under a kilometre to the summit.
He chose not to react immediately and the refusal of anyone else to take up responsiblity for the chase was to prove costly as the Swiss rider started to put some distance into the group.
Martin kept him within sight over the top before being joined by Basso, Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampred) and Domencio Pozzovivo (Colnago Inxo) on the descent.
The furious chase reduced the gap to 15 seconds by the bottom with the final three kilomtres of flat racing leaving Martin with hope of briding the gap before the finish.
Zaugg held a handful of seconds lead heading into the final kilometre and his legs held out to the finish as he celebrated the biggest win of his career.
Martin sprinted to second place ahead of Rodriguez but was clearly frustated at having let victory slip from his grasp in the closing stages of the season curtain closer.
Roche meanwhile finished in the third group on the group just 27 seconds back in 16th place. Philip Deignan (Radioshack) was among the large number of non-finishers.
Results:
Tour of Lombardy
1. Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Leopard Trek 6:20:02
2. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Cervelo 0:00:08
3. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha
4. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
5. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-ISD
6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago CSF-Inox
7. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli 0:00:15
8. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma Lotto
9. Carlos Alberto Betancourt Gomez (Col) Acqua & Sapone
10. Riccardo Chiarini (Ita) Androni Giaocattoli
2. Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin-Cervelo - at 8 seconds
16. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale at 27 seconds
DNF. Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Radioshack
- Array
