Tag: Tony Martin

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Tony Martin Takes Third TT World Title

Tony Martin Takes Third TT World Title

Tony Martin Takes Third TT World TitleGerman powerhouse Tony Martin won his third straight UCI World TT Championship. In one of the most hotly anticipated time trials of the year. The Omega Pharma – Quick-Step rider was inseparable from Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara at the first intermediate split (7.3km) and it looked like Bradley Wiggins – who had made a slow start – would be settling for Bronze, but as Martin upped his game Cancellara faded, ultimately taking third place 48seconds adrift of Martin’s 1hr 05’36”, with Wiggins in Silver on +46. His victory across the 57.2km course in Florence marked the 58th win (56th road win) for Omega Pharma – Quick-Step in 2013.

 

Commenting on the day Martin said, ‘The last five kilometers were like a celebration for me because I knew I had an advantage of about 40 seconds. I didn’t expect the gap to be that big at all. I expected a battle on the cobbles. I was a little bit afraid of it, I know Cancellara is a specialist on the small corners with the cobbles, so I knew I needed some gaps. I think the gap was high enough, and so I didn’t have to go 100 percent and it was good to not take risks. I knew without a puncture or crash I should win. It was just a really nice final for me. I think it was really a perfect ride, from point A to B. I think it was more or less the same as my first Worlds victory in Copenhagen. I think I really needed this because when you almost win everything in time trials that you could in the past, you need some pressure so you can go to the limit. This was the right pressure for me going into this race. I could work with it. I think this is really the highlight of the season.’

 

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Omega Pharma-QuickStep: More Signings to Come?

OPQ_jerseyThe worst kept secret in professional cycling was officially confirmed last week when Omega Pharma-Quickstep boss Patrick Lefevere announced the signing of Rigoberto Uran. In addition to Uran, who joins from Sky, Lefevere also confirmed the signing of Mark Renshaw from Belkin and Alessandro Petacchi. Uran is expected to be the squad leader and the main contender for Grand Tour success over the next two years of his contract.

 

Add those three to Tom Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, Tony Martin and Mark Cavendish and you have one of the strongest and most versatile squads in pro cycling. But apparently Lefevere says he may add even more. ‘It depends on the moves in the market. Some people I have to speak to still as there are four or five riders in my team who are at the end of their contracts. There’s Euskaltel stopping and so there are a few riders who’ve done well in the mountains before and I’m interested in. But I’m not in a hurry.’ Sammy Sanchez maybe?

 

OPQ have historically been a good team but never had a contender for the top prizes. So why the sudden change of approach? Lefevre’s explanation is that he’s been put off signing a grand tour contender until now due to cycling’s doping problems.

 

Well, now he’s got one in Uran, who finished second in the Giro d’Italia this year, despite losing time while supporting a fading Wiggins. As the ever quotable Lefevere said: ‘What’s for sure is that I’m not standing there with a gun in his face telling him he has to get on the podium in the Giro, Tour or Vuelta. If he does it though, of course I’ll be happy.’

 

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Tony Martin: Route Choice ‘irresponsible’

tony_martin_largeWith the Tour de France celebrating its centenary this year, you would expect something different, something exciting. But according to Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s Tony Martin the price of that extra frisson of excitement could come at the expense of riders. The two-times defending Time Trial World Champion, writing on his website, has described the decision to include a double take on the notorious Alpe d’Huez, which necessitates the use of the previously untested Col de Sarenne, as ‘irresponsible’.

 

Set to feature on Stage 18, the Col de Sarenne seems to have set alarm bells ringing in the usually unshakable German. He comments: ‘I was excited to ride the new road from Alpe d’Huez (during the Critérium du Dauphiné), the exact same route we’ll see in the Tour, I have to say that I was negatively surprised. The road is old and narrow. It’s a bad road, no guardrails. A mistake could see you falling straight down 30 metres…’

 

TdF organisers have agreed partial resurfacing of the Col – with short sections set to be partially leveled – but the fact remains that one of the world’s most experienced and fearless riders appears troubled by the road ahead.

 

Image © TDWSport.com

 

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Martin Retains Time Trials Crown

Changeable weather conditions at the World Championship in the Netherlands, with heavy rain pre-race and intermediate showers throughout, made for tough cycling today at the Men’s Time Trials. The 45.7km course, including a wet and unforgiving cobbled opener and treacherous patched roads that claimed Italian Macro Pinotti as a casualty, was ultimately the scene of victory for reigning champion Tony Martin in a time of 58:38.76. America’s Taylor Phinney was desperately unlucky not to win, taking the silver down on a mere 5.37second margin, whilst Belarus’s Vasil Kiryienka took the bronze.

 

With Chris Froome having withdrawn ahead of the event to recover fully from success at the Tour de France, Vuelta and Olympics ahead of Sunday’s Road Race, only Alex Dowsett was left to represent Britain. A valiant ride rewarded him with a well-deserved eighth place, one up on pre-race favourite Alberto Contador.

 

Yesterday GB’s Emma Pooley – the 2010 World Champion – narrowly missed out on bronze in the Women’s Time Trial, finishing nine seconds off a podium place in an event won by Germany’s Judith Arndt. Arndt, the defending champion who is set to retire this month, took top spot by an impressive 33.77seconds over silver-placed Evelyn Stevens (USA) and 40.57seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Linda Melanie Villumsen in bronze. GB’s Wendy Houvenaghel finished a crushingly disappointing 14th, some 2minutes 17.5seconds behind Arndt.

 

Image © Wouter Roosenboom

 

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Gold Run for Wiggo

With the Men’s Time Trial Bradley Wiggins has won the first of what we hope is a string of cycling golds. In the process he doubled Britain’s gold medal tally, just hours after the host nation won its first event at the London Olympics yesterday.

 

With his seventh Olympic medal, four of them gold, Wiggins is now the most decorated British Olympian, while the morning’s medal ensured Heather Stanning and Helen Glover became the first British female rowers to win an Olympic title. Wiggins had been the favorite for gold after winning both time trial stages en route to becoming Britain’s first Tour de France winner last month, and his dominance was clear to see as he finished 42 seconds ahead of the Germany’s 2011 world TT champion Tony Martin.

 

Chris Froome won the bronze, as former Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara finished a disappointing seventh. The Swiss rider injured his shoulder in Saturday’s Road Race and was clearly in pain when he crossed finish line. American Taylor Phinney finished fourth, nine seconds off a podium place.

 

Wiggins later turned up live on BBC, still looking a little shell-shocked, and even interrupted an international football broadcast with an unscheduled stop at the BBC3 studio. Cycling trumping football? The world’s gone mad (as Wiggo would say).

 

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TT World Champ Hit by Car

Tony Martin, the Time Trial World Champion, has been involved with a collision with a car during a training ride in Switzerland, fracturing his cheekbone. The 26-year-old reportedly lost consciousness after the impact and was taken to a local hospital in Munsterlingen where it is suspected that surgery will be required. An official statement from Omega Pharma-Quick Step stated:  ‘Tony was transported by ambulance to the University Hospital in Zurich this morning. His clinical condition is stable. In agreement with the team medical staff, today Tony Martin will undergo further specific examinations that will define the treatment he will need at that point… Tony’s clinical condition is being constantly monitored by the hospital staff and the team’s medical staff. Tony’s family is with him. Further updates will be released soon.’

 

Having beaten Britain’s Bradley Wiggins into second place at the Time Trial World Championships last September Martin was (possibly still is?) favourite for Gold at the London Games.

 

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Martin Wins the First Tour of Beijing.

The Inaugural UCI Tour of Beijing has found its first king in the shape of HTC-Highroad’s Tony Martin. The fifth and final stage of the brand new tour was a flat and fast 118km that naturally favored the sprinters and saw Team Katusha’s Russian star Denis Galimzyanov take the win, but Martin who has defended a lead for much of the race since winning the opening time trial was ultimately unbeatable in the overall rankings.

 

The Tour of Beijing has not been without incident and probably the most bizarre was the injury sustained by Yannick Eijssen of BMC who was forced to withdraw after what was described as a “freak accident” on Friday’s Stage Three. The accident, which happened on a descent in Yanqing county, north of the city centre, came about when a low flying television helicopter dislodged a signage board close to the course, which hit the 22-year-old rider, fracturing a small bone beneath his nose. A press motorcycle was also embroiled in the accident, but no other riders were involved.

 

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Beijing Bikes

How many bicycles did Katie Melua say there were in Beijing? However many it was, this week has seen a few more with the staging of the brand-new Tour of Beijing, a five day event that started on Wednesday with an 11.3km ITT stage and will conclude on Sunday with a run from Tiananmen Square to the iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium. Today’s stage (Friday, October 7), at 162k, was considered by far the toughest, but it also proved itself ideal for those keen to break free of the peleton and with 15km left to go that’s exactly what happened. Ultimately it was Ag2r -La Mondiale’s Nicolas Roche who took the stage win, whilst Tony Martin (of HTC-Highroad) retained his overall lead and now stands a good chance of a Tour win.

 

Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Nick Nuyens, who finished second in the sprint among the chasers and finished fifth today (and 19th overall) commented “It’s a new and exciting experience to race in China. The roads are wide and good and the organization of the event is rather good considering the fact that the race is new”