|
|
|
Last Updated: 4 Apr 2018 - 3:13:57 PM |
13th For Dan Martin on Tough Olympic Circuit
By Cycling Ireland
6 Aug 2016,
|
Email this article
|
Two top thirty finishes for Ireland in Rio
Ireland’s Dan Martin has equalled Ireland’s best ever Olympic Road Race result, finishing 13th in the 237.5km race, which included 11 significant climbs and a tricky cobbled section. Nicolas Roche also impressed on the tricky course, finishing in a fine 29th position, rounding off what has been a proud day for Irish cycling. The race was won by Belgium’s in form Greg Van Avermaet ahead of Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark, with Poland’s Rafal Majka rounding off the podium. Both Martin and Roche raced strongly in a race marked by crashes and mechanical mishaps. The road race took place in the Fort Copacabana region along the coast of Rio, and took the winning riders over 6 hours to complete.
Both Irish riders had started the Olympic race with the podium in their sights, with many tipping Martin for a medal. Speaking after the race Martin was disappointed for himself, but positive about the race outcome saying “It shows how far we have come, for a nation like Ireland to be coming in with two guys who can medal, and then be really disappointed with a 13th place finish out of 150 starters, it shows how far we’ve come; it shows the ambition we have. We rode our best and that’s all you can ask for.”
The riders started off by travelling along the coast to the Grumari circuit, where they did four laps of the 25km circuit before moving back to the Vista Chinesa circuit, which featured an 8.5km climb which they tackled three times. While the climbs were challenging, and the descents were tricky, it was the cobbled section on the Grumari circuit that really tested many riders, causing punctures and chains to slip. Both Irish riders were caught out in this section.
Both Roche and Martin were caught out on the cobbles, Roche explained why so many riders were affected; “The cobbled section was disastrous; it was like a war zone with chains dropping and bottles flying all over the place. A fair few riders has the same problems and one of the causes is that on a course so hard we use a 32 which means we use a longer derailleur and chain and there’s a lot more give when we got to the cobbles. They came after a descent so we were in the biggest gear. It wasn’t too important because the way the lap was we could move up with the big headwind at the other side.”
While Roche and Martin had good legs going into the race, the results didn’t reflect it. An early break of strong riders managed to hold a lead over the main group for much of the race and while Martin and Roche spent much of the race at the front of the peloton, they were disappointed to miss out on the podium. Martin said “It was one of the hardest bike races I have done, it was hot, on a tricky course and no let off all day.”
Roche echoed his cousin saying “Both myself and Dan came in with high ambitions. I think the course was a bit of a surprise. The course and racing were harder than what a lot of people expected. We raced pretty well, but a mechanical happened at a bad place, and on a circuit that’s hard it’s non-forgiving. That’s part of the game, obviously I was hoping for a better result. My chain wrapped on my pedal the first time up the hard climb, and I lost time (50 seconds). My legs were strong but it took a lot of energy to get back to the front. It’s great to say my legs were strong but the thing with the Olympics is it is about results. Thing is today I came to give a bit more; I thought I was maybe going to be able to so I’m disappointed after the finish. These things happen.”
While 13th equals Ireland’s best previous result, when Ciaran Power competed in Athens in 2004, Team Manager Kurt Bogaerts recognised the good showing for Ireland but was disappointed for the Irish riders, as he believed they could medal; “I’m so disappointed, the guys had the level for the top, but that’s bike racing. You see the lads away (Nibali and Henao) at the end, two of them were guaranteed a podium but they crashed out. That’s bike racing. We got two top thirty results. The six riders that rode away early on, they were six that can ride away in the final. It was one of the hardest races I’ve seen, like a queen stage in the Tour! So with two Ireland guys in the top thirty that’s amazing. It means the level of Irish cycling is quite high. That’s probably the best result for Ireland, but when you know what happens it’s really disappointing. That’s cycling.”
Although disappointed to not be on the podium, Martin was grateful for the opportunity to compete at the Olympics; “Big thanks to Cycling Ireland and the Olympic Council of Ireland for letting us believe in our dream. Up until 25km to go we nearly had that dream. Thanks for letting us believe in that.”
Next up for Ireland’s Olympic cycling team is Shannon McCurley who competes in the Keirin Track Cycling Event next Saturday, 13th August. RTÉ 2 will be featuring live coverage of the race with commentary by Declan Quigley and PJ Nolan focusing on the Irish interest. Martyn Irvine will be sitting on the panel as a studio analyst, ensuring good coverage of the Olympic track cycling events next week.
RESULTS:
Gold: Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)
Silver: Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)
Bronze: Rafal Majka (POL)
Irish
13th - Dan Martin (IRL)
29th - Nicolas Roche (IRL)
----
5th August 2016 - Irish Team Ready for Olympic Cycling Road Race
Ireland’s Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche will be competing in the Cycling Road Race at the Olympic Games in Rio this Saturday, 6th August. The Irish riders, who are also cousins, will compete in the 237.5km road race in Fort Copacabana starting at 13.30 Irish time; with the race expected to finish at approximately 19.10, six hours later. The Irish duo have both been performing well this year, with Martin finishing 9th in the Tour de France, and Roche 9th in the recent Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian, a prestigious one day race of similar length to the Olympic course.
This is the third Olympic Games for Roche and Martin’s second, and the excitement of the Olympic Games is high. The Olympic circuit is a route that should suit Martin in particular, with the Etixx Quickstep rider having previously seen success in similar challenging one day races such as the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardy.
The 237.5km road race is considered by many as having the toughest Olympic parcours in many years, and will likely result in a war of attrition for the riders. Starting in Fort Copacabana on the coast the riders take in two separate circuits before finishing back in Fort Copacabana. While both circuits feature considerable climbs, it is the final section that will likely be the decisive part, where the riders tackle a significant 8.5km climb in the 15km loop that will be negotiated 2.5 times.
----
PROFILES OF IRISH CYCLING TEAM AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
RIDER BIOS:
SHANNON McCURLEY
Date of Birth: 26/4/1992
Place of Birth: Victoria, Australia
Shannon McCurley is the first Irish female track cyclist to qualify for the Olympic Games, where she will be competing in the Keirin. Born on the 26th April 1992, Shannon has been representing Ireland since 2011, when she won a bronze medal in the scratch race at the U23 European Track Championships. Ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers, Shannon switched from the more endurance based Scratch Race to the Keirin, which is a sprinter’s discipline. In this event up to seven riders follow a motor-paced bike (derny) around the track in a 2km event, with approximately 700m to go the derny, which had been increasing in speed, pulls off, to allow the riders sprint for the remainder of the race. Shannon was born in Australia to Irish parents, with her father being Belfast born and her mother being from Dublin.
DAN MARTIN
Date of Birth: 20/8/1986
Place of Birth: Birmingham, UK
Dan Martin is an Irish professional road racing cyclist, who races with Etixx-Quickstep. Born on 20th August 1986, Dan specialises in climbing, and has a colourful palmares, including stage wins in the Vuelta a Espana and Tour de France, along being the overall winner in stage races in Poland and Spain. With his accolades including the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2013 and the Giro di Lombardia (2014) Dan has proven that his is particularly strong when it comes to the long one-day races. Dan comes from good cycling genes – his father, Neil Martin, was a British professional cyclist, and his uncle is Irish legend Stephen Roche.
NICOLAS ROCHE
Date of Birth: 3/7/1984
Place of Birth: Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, France
Nicolas Roche is an Irish professional road racing cyclist, who races with Team Sky. Born on the 3rd July 1984, Nicolas is an all-round cyclist; he is no stranger to top ten finishes in Grand Tours like the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, which span three weeks. Nicolas is known for his gutsy style of riding and in recent years has been a crucial team mate for some of the best riders in the world like Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. Nicolas has a number of prestigious stage wins to his name, including wins in the Vuelta a Espana and the Tour of Beijing. Nicolas has been representing Ireland at World Championships since he was a junior, and like his cousin Dan Martin, comes from a great cycling family, with his father, Stephen Roche, being a household name.
PHILIP DEIGNAN (Reserve)
Date of Birth: 7/9/1983
Place of Birth: Letterkenny, Co. Donegal
Philip Deignan is an Irish professional road racing cyclist, who races with Team Sky. Born on the 7th September 1983, Philip specialises in climbing, and won a stage in the Vuelta a Espana in 2009, along with finishing an impressive 9th overall. He has a string of top ten results in professional races around the world, including 5th in the Tour of Yorkshire this year, showing that his form is good in this Olympic year. Philip competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and has represented Ireland in numerous event since he became a professional cyclist in 2005.
|
|
|
|
