World champion Tony Martin wins final Tirreno time trial
Nibali seals second overall victory
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) claimed the final stage of the 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico, a 9.2-kilometre time trial around the streets of San Benedetto del Tronto on Tuesday. The German posted a time of 10:25 to beat Adriano Malori (Lampre-Merida) by six seconds, with Andrey Amador (Movistar) in third, a further four seconds back.
As expected, Vinenzo Nibali (Astana) secured the overall title for the second year in a row. Despite finishing the stage in 12th place, the Giro d'Italia favourite did enough to hold off Chris Froome (Team Sky) on the flat course along the waterfront. Froome started the day 34 seconds down on Nibali after losing the race lead on an epic stage 6, and was unable to claw back the time needed to rescue his race. The prospective Tour leader was able to secure his second place overall, with Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) slipping into third.
However the stage belonged to Tony Martin, who reminded everyone of his status as the best time trialist in the world. "I was looking for this day because the mountains weren't for me," he said after his second individual time trial win of the season.
"I had full focus for the day and I'm happy I won. It's my first time here. My climbing has been getting better day by day, but I still need some time to improve. It's still early in the season but I'm happy with the stage win. It's been a good race for the team."
With Malori having beaten former time trial supremo Fabian Cancellara into the provisional lead, the Italian looked to be Martin's only genuine competition. The German started calmly, and despite being slower at the first time check his class told in the second half as he cut through the air and towards the win. The unfortunate Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Euskaltel) was the German's minute man, but was he was easily swapped aside before the line.
From there, the only battle remaining would revolve around the final podium places. Barring a major upset, Nibali would come away with the overall but with Froome, Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Katusha), Alberto Contador and Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma QuickStep) separated by 24 seconds the podium was wide open. Kwiatkowski, resplendent in the white jersey already tasted time trial success at the Tour de San Luis earlier this year and when he crossed the line in provisional seventh he looked on course to at least unsettle Rodriguez.
Contador, a shadow of the time trialist he was in 2009, lurched through the midway point 12 seconds down. If he posted a time slower than 10:57, Kwiatkowski would sneak into third but in the final 200 meters the Spaniard found enough to grasp third, to finish in a time of 10:55. Rodriguez, who has improved against the clock in the last 12 months, could only post a time of 11:08, leaving him two seconds off Contador but down in fifth overall.
All eyes turned to the battle between Froome and Nibali. The Sky rider had little chance of overturning the deficit he incurred on the roads to Porto Sant'Elpidio, where he was over-geared and outfought.
Since his move to Astana Nibali has focused on his ability against the clock and despite conceding four seconds at the mid-way point, the overall title had already been secured.
A time of 10:51 was good enough for 12th on the stage and a 23-second winning margin.
"I'm really happy with this Tirreno-Adriatico," he said. "It's something really important to win and it's my first win of the season too. This is perhaps more important than my win that last year because of the riders like Rodriguez, Froome and Contador who came. It's been a fantastic Tirreno."
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 0:10:25 |
2 | Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 0:00:06 |
3 | Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team | 0:00:10 |
4 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:12 |
5 | Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:00:14 |
6 | Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling | 0:00:15 |
7 | Hayden Roulston (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:20 |
8 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 0:00:21 |
9 | Dario Cataldo (Ita) Sky Procycling | 0:00:23 |
10 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team | |
11 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:24 |
12 | Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:26 |
13 | Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge | 0:00:27 |
14 | Stijn Devolder (Bel) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:29 |
15 | Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
16 | Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp | 0:00:30 |
17 | Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
18 | Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:00:31 |
19 | Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp-Endura | |
20 | Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:32 |
21 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:00:33 |
22 | Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:36 |
23 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp | 0:00:39 |
24 | Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia | |
25 | Danilo Hondo (Ger) RadioShack Leopard | |
26 | Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:40 |
27 | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
28 | Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack Leopard | 0:00:42 |
29 | Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling | |
30 | Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha | |
31 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | |
32 | Moreno Moser (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
33 | Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling | 0:00:43 |
34 | Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ | |
35 | Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha | |
36 | Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel-Euskadi | |
37 | Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Katusha | 0:00:44 |
38 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:00:45 |
39 | Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Movistar Team | |
40 | Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team | |
41 | Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge | 0:00:46 |
42 | Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-GreenEdge | |
43 | Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:47 |
44 | Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | |
45 | André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol | |
46 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:48 |
47 | Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:50 |
48 | Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ | |
49 | Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida | 0:00:51 |
50 | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha | 0:00:52 |
51 | Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team | 0:00:53 |
52 | Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
53 | Jacobus Venter (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka | |
54 | Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
55 | Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:00:54 |
56 | Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
57 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:55 |
58 | Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | |
59 | Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:56 |
60 | Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp-Endura | |
61 | Paul Martens (Ger) Blanco Pro Cycling Team | |
62 | Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar Team | |
63 | Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling | 0:00:57 |
64 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 0:01:00 |
65 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
66 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:01:03 |
67 | Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
68 | José Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team NetApp-Endura | |
69 | Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:01:04 |
70 | Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack Leopard | |
71 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Blanco Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:06 |
72 | Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | |
73 | Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia | 0:01:07 |
74 | Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | |
75 | Miguel Minguez Ayala (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | 0:01:08 |
76 | Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia | 0:01:09 |
77 | Mauro Finetto (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia | 0:01:10 |
78 | Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ | |
79 | Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ | |
80 | Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka | 0:01:11 |
81 | Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
82 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 0:01:12 |
83 | Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 0:01:13 |
84 | Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
85 | Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol | 0:01:15 |
86 | Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha | |
87 | Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ | 0:01:17 |
88 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
89 | Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 0:01:18 |
90 | Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | 0:01:20 |
91 | Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 0:01:23 |
92 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:01:24 |
93 | Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetApp-Endura | |
94 | Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:01:26 |
95 | Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Blanco Pro Cycling Team | |
96 | Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) MTN-Qhubeka | 0:01:27 |
97 | Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp | 0:01:30 |
98 | Bauke Mollema (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:31 |