Daniel Martínez almost gave Ineos Grenadiers one other Classics podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, however the Colombian was narrowly overwhelmed to 3rd place by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in a photograph end.
The race was gained by Remco Evenepoel (Quickstep-AlphaVinyl), who soloed clear with 29km to go, whereas Quinten Hermans (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) was a shock winner of the dash for second place, 48 seconds down.
Martínez’s fourth place end was all of the extra outstanding on condition that he was considered one of a number of riders on the Ineos Grenadiers workforce who took the beginning of La Doyenne whereas affected by abdomen issues. He had a mechanical downside on the vital second within the race the place Evenepoel made his successful transfer.
“It was actually very arduous,” Martinez mentioned. “This morning I awakened just a little unwell, I didn’t really feel very nicely bodily after which throughout the stage I used to be just a little sick to my abdomen. The crashes, the stress, however in the long run I believe I felt very nicely. On the climbs I managed to carry off the assaults. However on the key second of the race I dropped my chain, I used to be fixing it when Remco attacked.”
His teammates additionally struggled throughout the race, with Tom Pidcock getting taken down in the mass crash with round 60km to go and Carlos Rodriguez and Omar Fraile not making it to the end due to their sickness.
“It was a tough attritional race,” Geraint Thomas mentioned. “Sadly we had been on the again foot early with a number of of the boys, particularly Omar and Carlos a bit sick. I felt like my abdomen was not 100 per cent.”
Then, the crash disrupted the peloton with Pidcock having to burn vitality to chase again on. Thomas missed the fallers and made the entrance group and Michal Kwiatkowski on Evenepoel’s wheel on the vital second however the Polish rider didn’t have the legs to comply with.
“I noticed Dani together with his chain off so I waited for him, bought him again within the entrance,” Thomas defined. “Then I simply tried to maintain Dani in place for the final climb. Sadly, Remco had a adequate lead then and stayed away.”
Ineos Grenadiers completed off their Classics marketing campaign with one of many organisation’s most profitable outings, having gained Paris-Roubaix with Dylan van Baarle, the Amstel Gold Race with Kwiatkowski, De Brabantse Pijl because of Magnus Sheffield. Martínez’s fourth place in Liège was additionally his finest Classics consequence thus far.
“I believe, all issues thought of, Dani fourth, nearly bought on the rostrum with a photograph end – all of us pulled collectively underneath the circumstances,” Thomas concluded.
