Ireland’s Dan Martin says he is having fun at the Tour de France after moving up to third place overall following yesterday's challenging conditions that saw four riders abandon the Grand Tour.
The cyclists are enjoying their first rest day after the ninth stage crossed a total of five peaks on the Pyrenees, with Giant Alpecin’s Tom Dumoulin crossing the line first on a day that went from scorching heat to violent hailstorms.
Sky’s Chris Froome, bidding for a third tour, holds the yellow jersey but only 61 seconds separate the first 11 riders.
Among them is Etixx QuickStep's Martin, who finished 14th on the stage and lies just 19 seconds behind the English cyclist.
Thursday's stage to Mont Ventoux is likely to be the next key one for Martin, the site of a famous Froome victory in 2013 en route to winning his first Tour.
Just seen the last 10k on TV. Really didn't do our battle justice. A lot of fun racing and looking forward to the next bout
— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) July 10, 2016
Martin reflected on a day that tested the resolve of the peloton with Alberto Contador, the two-time race winner, abandoning the race after suffering crashes and illness earlier in the week.
The Spaniard was one of four to see his tour ended on the Pyrenees.
“Just seen the last 10k on TV. Really didn't do our battle justice. A lot of fun racing and looking forward to the next bout,” he posted on his Twitter account.
Froome meanwhile admits he has a battle on his hands to keep hold of his yellow jersey.
"I've said it a few times: I feel this is going to be the biggest battle of my career," he said.
"That's what it's turning out to be. By no means did I expect it to be easy and I was just going to ride away from everyone. The level is higher and I have to fight for every second I can."
Froome is primarily concerned with Movistar's Nairo Quintana.
The Colombian, fourth overall and 23 seconds down, is seen as the man most likely to deny Froome a third Tour win, although the expected attack never came in Andorra.
"In the back of my mind I was waiting for his attack," Froome said of Quintana. "All the way up to the last kilometre and into the last kilometre, I thought, 'He hasn't attacked yet, maybe he's saving it for one big move' but that never came.
"I'd like to think he was on his limit but he just stuck to my wheel like glue."
