Martin, Haussler drop the Tour of Britain
Thursday the Tour of Britain lost another two riders, this time two of the front-runners of the race.
Yesterday fans had a start when they read headlines reading “Martin abandons Tour of Britain,” which turned out to be about Tony Martin, who was supporting overall leader Michael Albasini but was not a
front-runner himself. Naturally, the cycling fan would immediately think, when reading that headline, of Dan Martin, who was the fourth-best climber when he abandoned and spent half of his time in the Tour at the front of the peloton, spearheading breakaways
in days four and five. Now, at the start of stage six, that assumption has come true.
“I’ve decided to stop the race early,” said Martin. “We got word yesterday that an opportunity had come up to see a specialist in London – he’s very hard to get an appointment with and we’d like to get
this finally sorted,” he said. “It’s a pity to stop the race but I’ve ridden very hard in the last two days and given it a good go.”
Martin has been suffering from allergies which leave him crippled in the spring and the fall. His summer form was excellent, however, with overall wins in the Tour of Poland and the Tre Valli Varesini, as
well as numerous other top finishes. He is hoping to solve the problem in time for his end-season goal, Giro di Lombardia.
Australian Heinrich Haussler has also abandoned, but where Martin didn’t begin stage six, Haussler dropped out of the race at the head of the breakaway. This is the Cervelo rider’s first race in over two
months, having undergone knee surgery during the summer. He joined the eight-man breakaway which ultimately went on to carry the stage winner to the finish line, but without Haussler.
"As soon as we get over 60 km he felt himself getting really tired because he's not used to the competition," said Cervelo director Van Poppel. "He kept going in that group but after 100 km the tank was
empty and he decided to stop the race. It's a shame but we understand he cannot go to deep as he's still on his way back, and there are still a few races to go."
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