Martin shows class with 9th on Monte Zoncolan

Posted 23 May 2010

Dan Martin proved that he is well capable of challenging for a big mountain stage win in this year’s Giro d’Italia when he finished ninth behind Ivan Basso on today’s monumental climb of Monte Zoncolan.

The 23 year old Garmin Transitions rider produced a superb performance to come within 3:31 of Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) on the notoriously steep ascent and has now moved up to 51st in the GC.

Martin kept close company with the leading GC contenders over each of the day’s four mountain passes and was still in the hunt for a stage with just five kilometres to go.

He started the final 10.1 kilometre climb in a chasing group of some 35 riders who had reduced a 13 minute lead by a five man breakaway to just 3:23 over the previous climbs of the Selle Chianzutan, Passo Duran and Sella Valcalda.

The lead group containing Ludovic Turpin (AG2R La Mondiale), Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli-Diquigiovani), Guillaume Le Floch (Bbox Bouygues Telecom), Nico Sijmens (Confidis) and Jerome Pineau (Quick Step) were doomed as soon as they hit the climb which averaged 11.8% gradient.

Martin showed early signs that a big result was on the cards when he sat on the wheel of race leader David Arroyo (Caisse d’Epargne), sandwiched between Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) and Carlos Sastre (Cervelo Test Team), as Basso’s Liquigas team set a ferocious pace over the penultimate climb of the Passo Duran.

Their pace setting was unrelenting over the opening two kilometres of Monte Zoncolan and the front group was soon whittled down to twenty riders as the breakaway group started to fall asunder up front.

A short turn by Michele Scarponi (Androni Giocattoli-Diquigiovani) caused a split at the front of the chasing group 7.4 kilometres from the summit with Evans, Basso and Marco Pinotti (HTC Columbia) joining the Italian in riding clear.

Pinotti was dropped after half a kilometre while Martin battled behind having left a group containing Arroyo as the three out front started to sweep up the breakaway riders one by one.

Scarponi cracked with 6 kilometres to go and Evans, sensing that Basso was also struggling, pulled clear seconds later only to find that Basso had more than enough left to pull him back.

The two started to put time in Scarponi over the next kilometre as Damiano Cuengo (Lampre Farnese Vini) followed 44 seconds behind with Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Sastre, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) and Pinotti all chasing alone with Martin separating them from Arroyo.

Evans wilted with 3.7 kilometres to the top and Basso put him to the sword over gradients of 22% pulling out 1:19 before the time he crossed the finishing line to the screams of thousands of elated Tifosi.

Martin continued to fight a lone battle as more than 100,000 fans filled the slopes at the top of the 1,750 metre ascent. The gaps were marginal after Scarponi came home 1:30 down with Martin finishing within touching distance of Cunego, Vinokourov, Sastre, Nibali and Pinotti.

The Giro has a rest day tomorrow before the riders return to action on Tuesday with the eagerly awaited 12.9 kilometre time trial up the famed Plan de Corones which tops out at 24% gradient.

Three big mountain stages follow on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday where Martin is certain to be marked man and Irish hopes of another Grand Tour stage win will be high.

Results:

Stage 15: Mestre-Monte Zoncolan, 218 kilometres

1.  Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) 6 hours, 21 mintues, 58 second
2.  Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) at 0:01:19
3.  Michele Scarponi (Androni Giocattoli) at 0:01:31
4.  Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Farnese Vini) at 0:01:58
5.  Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) at 0:02:26
6.  Carlos Sastre (Cervelo TestTeam) at  0:02:44
7.  Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) at 0:03:06
8.  Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia) at 0:03:20
9.  Daniel Martin (Garmin-Transitions) at 0:03:31
10. John Gadret (AG2R-La Mondiale) 0:03:45

General classification after stage 15:

1.  David Arroyo(Caisse d'Epargne) 67 hours, 48 minutes, 42 seconds 
2.  Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) at 0:02:35
3.  Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) at 0:03:33
4.  Carlos Sastre (Cervelo TestTeam) at 0:04:21
5.  Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) at 0:04:43
6.  Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) at 0:05:51
7.  Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) at 0:06:08
8.  Michele Scarponi (Androni Giocattoli) at 0:06:34
9.  Linus Gerdemann (Milram) at 0:07:12
10.  Robert Kiserlovski (Liquigas-Doimo) at 0:08:13

51. Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) at 1 hour, 18 minutes

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