Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Tony Martin picked the right moment to go for the solo victory at 155.8km Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 2 on Tuesday.
OPQS teammate Jan Bakelants went on the attack with Martin out of an original breakaway of seven riders with about 17.4km left in the stage. Gorka Izaguirre (Movistar) went with the OPQS teammates.
The rest of the collaboration between the three riders was a chess match as the gap began to drop. Jan Bakelants accelerated with a little more than 12km remaining, which forced Izaguirre to use up important energy to bring him back. Just as Izaguirre pulled back Bakelants, Martin countered and immediately gained a gap with 11.9km to go.
Izaguirre was unable to chase, and the case was the same for the peloton behind. Despite some attacks from GC contenders such as Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and even an attempt to bridge by Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team), Martin used the time trial prowess of a three-time UCI World TT Champion and powered away to a solo victory. Michal Kwiatkowski also contested the podium out of the chase group behind. He placed 3rd behind Ben Swift (Team Sky).
This was the 20th win for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2014. Martin also earned his first individual victory of the season. He was a key part of the Tirreno-Adriatico TTT victory earlier in the year.
"I came here to try and do something good in the GC," Martin said. "But yesterday the final was too hard for a rider like me. So after yesterday I decided to focus on the breakaways and of course the TT. This morning I was really motivated. Everybody wanted to try and go. Jan and I went, and for OPQS it was the perfect situation. We collaborated really well with the other guys in the breakaway. The final was really hard. It wasn't really long climbs, but a lot of up and down like a small Amstel Gold Race. At 15 kilometers to go we knew to try and win this race it would be important to go 100 percent and not wait. So, I attacked the breakaway. Bakelants and Izaguirre followed me, and then together with Jan we played a game of attacking one-by-one. When we were with three guys, Bakelants attacked, Izaguirre answered, and at that point I counter attacked. When I went, to me it was kind of like a time trial until the end. I knew in the last 10 kilometers it was possible to win with a 1 minute gap. I want to also thank Jan, because he let me go and he gave up his chance in my favor. This is the team spirit of OPQS and the victory is also for him and the whole team. The last time I won a race that wasn't a TT was at Tour of Beijing in 2012 when I attacked on the descent. Normally when I win on the road the races are at smaller stage races. But I have to say a win like today is also really special. I think I was strong in my head also and in the final of the stage I thought of the stage of La Vuelta last year. I said to myself 'this time, it won't happen again.' So I am really satisfied, I have good morale, and I also have good condition and I will try to advantage of this in the time trial. I checked the profile and there are two climbs, which is not so easy for me. But, with the morale and this condition, I will go 100 percent for this race."
"I'm very happy about this victory," Sport Director Davide Bramati said. "This morning we decided to let four riders free to do the race: Pieter Serry, Jan Bakelants, Tony Martin, and Carlos Verona. The race exploded immediately, enough that there was already a breakaway of seven riders after 10 kilometers. Tony and Jan both made it. We went a little bit above three minutes as a maximum advantage, but the peloton always control the breakaway, keeping the gap stable around two minutes or two and a half minutes. When the gap started to go below two minutes I told Tony and Jan it was time to try something. Tony attacked the breakaway with Bakelants and Izaguirre. Then, at that point, they put Izaguirre in the middle. When Izaguirre closed on the attack from Bakelants, Tony went alone. He had really great legs today and he deserved this victory. Especially after last year at La Vuelta a Espana, where he was caught in the final meters after a great solo attack."
