Dan Martin skips Amstel to focus on Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege
20 April 2019 10:52
Dan Martin will skip Amstel Gold Race on Sunday before returning to lead the line for UAE Team Emirates at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Martin, a former winner of Liège and a multiple podium finisher at Flèche, has never fared quite so well at Amstel. In seven participations, he has finished the race just twice. This year, he will skip the Dutch Classic to focus on the races the following Wednesday and Sunday. After a disappointing Ardennes Classics campaign in his first season with UAE Team Emirates, the Irishman will be out to put that right. ADVERTISEMENT Martin, who won Liège in 2013, has never cracked Flèche, finishing on the podium three times behind Alejandro Valverde, and a further two times in the top six. Prior to his difficult start to life at UAE, he finished runner-up at both Flèche and Liège - after a DNF at Amstel - in his final season with QuickStep. Martin has had a solid start to the season but showcased his growing form with second overall at the recent Tour of the Basque Country. In Martin's absence, UAE Team Emirates will be led at Amstel by former world champion Rui Costa, alongside puncheur Diego Ulissi, new signing Sergio Henao, and young sensation Tadej Pogacar. Costa is a perennial presence in the Ardennes, while Henao adds another dimension with a runner-up and fourth place at Flèche to his name, along with two top 10's apiece at Liège and Amstel.
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