Martin: Gut wrenching to have illness spoil finale

Dan Martin has revealed how “gut-wrenching” it was to have gotten sick in the final week of the Tour, which deprived the Irish rider the possibility of a high placing overall, another stage win, or even both.

The Garmin-SHARP rider fell ill last Tuesday night following the 15th stage of the race from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap and since then, slipped from 10th overall to 33rd, and last night ended the race one hour 13 minutes down on winner Chris Froome.

“It was just about survival since Tuesday,” said Martin last night. “It was just gut-wrenching for me because I knew I picked up something and couldn’t be 100%. Especially when I knew so many Irish supporters travelled over for the final week of the race.

“I was shit in the time-trial Wednesday and though I thought I might go okay, the reality is, when you are not well on a stage like that, there’s no place to hide and I knew from then it was just about surviving to Paris.

“Thursday, on the stage to Alpe d’Huez, it was just hell from the first kilometre. The body just wasn’t working, my muscles were sore, and I was just f***ed. It was gutting to be over 20 minutes down coming up to Irish Corner when I really felt I could have been up the front if I was fit. I definitely think I would have been in the top 10 but looking back, I wanted a stage win and I got that. To finish 10th? Who really cares? My teammate was 10th and no one knows.”

Martin won the ninth stage of the Tour, becoming the first Irishman in 21 years to take a stage, but his focus now is just getting healthy.

“We think it is some kind of virus, but it is hard to know. It is just unfortunate. I won a stage here, though, so it is hard to be too down.

“I just need to let this illness heal. The only way of doing that is by resting.

“I now know I can finish in top 10 of the Tour de France. At the end of the day, I was still in the top 10 after my weakest stages. So if anything, I would have moved up in these stages. It is great for the future and gives me motivation. I will probably be at the Giro next year when it starts in Ireland, aiming to be right at the front of the race.”

The other Irishman in the race, Nicolas Roche, didn’t manage to win a stage, but his chances of same were cut by his role as support rider to Alberto Contador and Roman Kreuziger, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

His Saxo-Tinkoff Team did scoop the team prize, which meant an Irishman stood on the podium for the first time in Paris since his father, Stephen, did likewise in 1993.

The Irish duo will now set their sights on their next big target of the year; the World Roar Race championships in Florence in September.