DAN MARTIN UAE EMIRATES
As this is the final diary of the season I thought I would look back over the year. Call it the Dan’s Diary Awards. Drumroll please!
The best team performance in my view was Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Despite the lack of a clear indication of form, the whole team backed me. I had good legs but then a front wheel puncture with 8km to go robbed me of the chance to get a result. I was gutted, but I was so proud of the team. (As an aside, the result I am most proud of is the stage I won at the Dauphiné. After such a tough start, it was the first sign that I was back to being me.)
My award for my most moraleboosting team-mate goes to Rory Sutherland. He came to the team to be my bodyguard and to guide me through the peloton. But he’s a lot more than that. We kept each other going in the tough times and eventually managed to enjoy some pretty damn good days.
The best organised race was, for me, the Tour de France. A lot of people knock the organisers but they have an incredibly difficult job. I think it was a mistake to have so many flat stages in the first half, which was boring both for riders and fans, but there were some interesting and innovative stages. People knocked some ideas like the start grid or the super short stage, but that sums up cycling. The sport is afraid of change and that’s what often holds it back.
I’ll probably get some stick for cycling’s best new thing, but the smaller team sizes was a positive move. I found it much easier to move around the smaller group and races did feel more open. I also think that the grid start at the Tour has legs. Not to affect the race, but it helps the audience to associate better with the contenders that day.
And my best new experience was the cobbles in the Tour. Okay, I did the stage in 2015, but then I began the first section in the team cars and never regained contact. This was the first time I properly raced on the cobbles and I loved it.