Martin the real deal

If Daniel Martin’s 2013 campaign had something of the annus mirabilis about it, gaining him overall victory at the Volta a Catalunya, a stage of the Tour de France, and, of course, a Monument Classic at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, then his performance at La Doyenne a year later proved that he is no flash in the pan.

Martin will be a contender every time he rolls out of Liege, it seems. Despite the considerable handicap of the number one dossard, the Irishman left his rivals powerless to prevent his bid for victory. A day of marking counted for nothing when he launched not once, but twice on the Cote de Saint Nicolas.

Second place at La Fleche Wallonne just days earlier had seemed the least his form deserved, when he came within metres of catching Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde, despite being held up by a crash at the foot of the Mur de Huy. Seemingly a rider of optimistic disposition, Martin is likely to recover from this crushing blow. A home start at the Giro d’Italia beckons, and while the race will not be won in Belfast or Dublin, the strength drawn from the support he will doubtless gain on the island of Ireland will be a wonderful fillip as he heads to the Dolomites in the weeks ahead.