Dan Martin rode up the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday evening wondering what might have been.
A sixth-placed finish in the Tour de France was the best performance by an Irish rider in a generation. Not since Martin's uncle Stephen Roche won the race in 1987, had an Irish rider finished so highly in the General Classification.
The result marks an improvement on the ninth-placed finish of last year, and has continued the form of an excellent 2017 where he has impressed all around Europe.
As of Monday, @DanMartin86 will be ranked third in the World Tour classification. Cheers, Dan!#TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/Yg8lshMse6
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) July 23, 2017
Speaking to his team's website after Sunday's final stage, the Birmingham-born star spoke fondly of a career-defining three weeks.
I am very happy, especially as I wasn't expecting to finish so high in the GC after that stage 9 crash. It was a hard but at the same time fun race and at the end of it all I am proud of what I've achieved here.
Our team has tasted success on numerous occasions throughout these three weeks and I'm leaving France with many beautiful memories, but also with a huge desire to return next year and fight again to finish even higher in the overall standings.
Quick-Step did have a successful tour, but Dan Martin failed to get a stage win. His teammate Marcel Kittel won five sprint stages and held the Green Jersey for ten days. Kittel looked likely to win the Points Classification, before a crash on Stage 16 ended his Tour.
While Martin was the team's focus in the Alps and Pyrenees, Kittel was the number one on the flat stages. That focus on the German may have cost Martin a top-five finish and was most evident on Stage 16.
Kittel struggled early in the stage, and the majority of the team were behind the peloton trying to get the German back to the main group. With the focus on Kittel, Martin was caught in crosswinds near the end of the stage and lost 51 seconds to his rivals.
In finishing in sixth place overall, Martin was only a minute and 37 seconds behind fifth-placed Fabio Aru.
🏆TOP 10 OFFICIEL / OFFICIAL TOP 10🏆
1. @chrisfroome
2. @UranRigoberto
3. @romainbardet #TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/UwdlBVYbnJ— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 23, 2017
While Dan Martin went into the race as the team's main hope of a high GC finish, he may not have as good of a chance of cracking the top-five in the future. With his contract up with Quick-Step at the end of 2017, the 30-year-old is in high demand.
According to Cycling Weekly, Martin will join Aru next year at UAE Team Emirates. Formally known as Lampre, the team will now have two World-class General Classification contenders in their ranks.
With three Grand Tours a year, Aru and Martin will more than likely split the races, adding to the risk of Martin missing the Tour de France.
The Italian Aru may wish to focus on his native Giro d'Italia in his first year with the team. If he doesn't there is a major chance Martin's bid to crack the top-five in the 2018 Tour may not happen at all.
With a crash on Stage 9 and getting caught in crosswinds in the final week, Martin may not get a better chance to finish on the podium.
