Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) will not start stage 10 of the Vuelta a España, due to the imminent arrival of his and his wife Jess’ twin girls. Prior to his withdrawal, he had been siting in 55th position overall, 30’17” behind race leader Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).
Martin explained: “After consultation with the team and doctors in Andorra, we have come to the decision it is best for me to travel home to Andorra in order to support my wife with the imminent arrival of our twin girls.
“This Vuelta has been a great experience to race in as a teammate to this strong and young team, and to be able to offer my full support to Fabio. Although the race didn’t produce the results that I expected, I really enjoyed acting as a road captain to this young group. But the time has now come, slightly earlier than we anticipated, to head home and to support my wife in this incredibly exciting period of our lives.
“I have to say thank you to my teammates for their support and understanding, as it is not easy to leave them behind. I would also like to offer a big thank you to the team management for being so supportive and allowing me the opportunity to race this Vuelta a Espana even with the knowledge that I could be called home at any moment”
