Martin has surgery in Dublin

Giro D’Italia: Dan Martin had surgery on his broken collarbone in Dublin yesterday following his race-ending crash on Friday’s opening stage in Belfast.

The Garmin-Sharp rider came down hard after just 15 minutes in the team time-trial when he hammered a sunken manhole cover and lost his balance, with four of his teammates also hitting the deck after colliding with him.

The Irishman was taken to hospital in Belfast where it was confirmed he broke his collarbone in three places and he was later transferred to Dublin.

He is expected to be back on the bike in the coming days – though his race programme for the rest of the season is unclear. The Tour de France, which starts on July 5 is only six weeks away and with a similar recovery period expected for injuries of Martin’s nature, that race may come too soon for him, with the Vuelta A Espana in August/September more likely.

Philip Deignan, who suffered two broken collarbones in the last eight months, said Martin must now focus on his next goal.

“Dan has to look forward, he needs to forget about this race and focus on coming back and try to get ready for the Tour (de France).

“A broken collar bone heals surprisingly quick. He was already in great shape at the start last week so I don’t think he’ll lose too much fitness.