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Dan Martin getting off his bike (via YouTube).jpgDan Martin rode much of Tour de France with fractured vertebrae
The legs are there – but the spine? Well, unfortunately that’s not at its best right now. Dan Martin has been forced to skip Clasica San Sebastian after discovering that he rode much of the Tour de France with two fractured vertebrae.
"During the Tour I didn't have any problems when racing, but off the bike I wasn't feeling very comfortable, so this week I did a scan and got the news,” explained Martin.
That ‘off the bike’ assessment is something of an understatement as footage of him from during the race showed.
What a hero! @DanMartin86 showing the physical and mental strength you need to be a cyclist! pic.twitter.com/D92tW44i1e
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 15, 2017
According to a statement from his Quick Step Floors team, a medical examination revealed two small transverse process fracture to the L2 and L3 vertebrae, meaning Martin will be sidelined for the next three weeks.
The Irishman was memorably waylaid by the horror crash that ended Richie Porte’s Tour de France on stage nine, but picked up his bike and rode on.
He later told The Guardian that the incident had left him unable to climb out of the saddle: “In the crash I hit so hard against the bank that all the muscles went into spasm. On the bike there was no pain, none sleeping or standing up. It was just when I had to bend my back the muscles hurt.
“You don’t need to straighten your back on the bike. No problem. [But] I wasn’t able to get out of the saddle. I could sprint, but I couldn’t climb out of the saddle because of the hip angle. That was the biggest challenge.”
Despite the pain and restrictions, Martin still managed to finish sixth – his highest finish in a Grand Tour.
Speaking about skipping Clasica San Sebastian this weekend, he said: “It's a real pity I won't ride San Sebastian, because the legs were there and it's a race I like.
“But fortunately this injury isn't something to worry about. In order to tackle my future goals in good condition, it's better to take a break and give the fracture time to heal. There's nothing else I can do, just rest and then build up for the final part of the season.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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12 comments
I have the greatest respect for this man, I like his style and I like his attitude.
Get well and back to your normal self soon!
Well that's Hard Bastard Of The Year decided already.
I once road 5 miles home with a broken elbow - that's just the same isn't it?
I did that too. But I couldn't get back on my bike the following day and do it again. These pro-cyclists are not like us.
Now he would have been a worthy winner of the combativity award...
Balls of Steel, but I cant help thinking of Old Man Steptoe every time I see the clip of him getting off the bike................. 'Haaarold'
BEAST
Dan Martin was great entertainment again at this years tour. Alone, attacking going up and down, and all after a crash that may have taken some riders out of the tour. I'm sure I heard him give an interview before the Tour, saying that he'd learned his lessons from previous tours and was going to ride in the wheels and conserve his efforts. Didn't seem to keep to this strategy for long and the race is always better for it. We the supporters and viewers love a racer, someone who takes a risk, buries themselves only to fall short or pull off an all time classic victory. It helps to be a contender rather than a favourite of course, as Bertie showed with some late bravado this year. Get well soon Dan Martin and here's hoping another Autumn classic can be added to the palmares.
unberleeeverble!
Man how you can do that when in so myuch pain - I thought I had an inkling of an idea of what hard riding is but these guys just are incredible
Well done Dan!
Bravo to Dan.
He rode a great tour, most of it as a lone soldier due to his team focusing its effort elsewhere. Not only did he cope with this lack of support, he had misfortune (no fault of his) and, now, injury to cope with and he still remained upbeat, optomistic and attacking enough to animate the race. He has ability, attitude and controlled aggression by the bucket load.
Get well Dan and we look forard to seeing you in next year's Tour with some team support and without the bad luck.
Incredible, for the efforts he put in he deserved to have been in contention for the win. Every time he clawed back some seconds bad luck seemed to strike again. I think he was my favorite rider from this race.
Cyclists: Hard as...