The Colombian takes it
The last few days have been filled with disastrous news from the peloton. Remco Evenepoel suffered a pelvic fracture during an Il Lombardia descent. Max Schachmann got hit by a car at the same race. Steven Kruijswijk and Emanuel Buchmann crashed out of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Primož Roglič had to abandon after a crash as well. Egan Bernal left the Critérium even earlier last week. It certainly didn’t go according to plan at the last few races. How will this affect the Tour? Roglič and Bernal should already be back to training. So, we shall see. The Grand Départ is only two weeks away!
Meanwhile, the conditions made it possible for another man to shine. Dani Martínez was in fourth prior to the last stage of the Critérium, 12 seconds down on Thibaut Pinot. However, the Frenchman was unable to hold onto Martínez over the last climb and the Colombian took the race lead on the road. Sepp Kuss won the stage in the end and Martínez finished second, beating Thibaut Pinot by 29 seconds in the GC.
“When they told me this morning that Roglič wasn’t starting, I knew that the race would be frantic from the start,” Martínez said. “When Pinot and Landa went clear, the team worked for me and I kept myself as fresh as possible in the hope that I could win the race. My DS was giving me the time gaps on Pinot on the final climb. I was right at my limit but completely determined until the end. This is one of the most important races in the world, some famous Colombians have won it and to join them makes me very happy.”
Stage five results
1. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) – 3:58:39
2. Dani Martínez (EF Pro Cycling) + 27s
3. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) + 30s
4. Pavel Sivakov (Team Ineos) + 45s
5. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) + 51s
6. Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe)
7. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) + 1:02
8. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) + 1:04
9. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 1:06
10. Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic)
Final general classification
1. Dani Martínez (EF Pro Cycling) – 21:44:58
2. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) + 29s
3. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) + 41s
4. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) + 56s
5. Miguel Ángel López (Astana) + 1:38
6. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 1:43
7. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) + 2:07
8. Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 2:14
9. Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) + 2:49
10. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) + 2:55
