March 12, 2013 (San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy) – Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Tony Martin closed out Tirreno-Adriatico with a 52.992km/h average pace in the 9.2km Stage 7 ITT, which was enough for a victory by six seconds on Tuesday.

Martin finished with a time of 10’25”, pushing enough power to pass riders on a short distance time trial course. Adriano Malori (Lampre-Merida) was 2nd (+6″), and Andrey Amador (Movistar) was 3rd, 10″ back.

Michal Kwiatkowski also finished 8th (+21″), and won the White Jersey for Best Young Rider. Furthermore, he finished 4th (+53″) in the GC. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) finished 12th today to win the overall, Chris Froome (Team Sky ProCycling) was 2nd, 23″ back, and Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) was 3rd, at 52″ back.

This is the 15th win, in three disciplines, for OPQS in 2013. OPQS also won the opening TTT at Tirreno-Adriatico. As a result of the good performances at Paris-Nice — including a Stage 6 victory of Sylvain Chavanel — as well as Tirreno-Adriatico, OPQS moves up from 9th to 3rd in the UCI WorldTour rankings (138 points).

“It was more like a prologue than really a time trial,” Martin said about the TT parcour. “I prefer the longer time trials, from 20 to 50 kilometers. But, I really liked it here. It was not too technical. It was really nice, and we were lucky with the weather as there was no rain. So, everything was really fine. I expected a really big fight with Cancellara at the end, and the big contender was Malori.  But OK, I won and I’m really happy. It shows me that my time trial condition is really good, and it gives me a lot of morale for the season.”

“I was really looking forward to this day,” Martin continued. “I’m really happy I could win here. This is my first time at Tirreno-Adriatico. I really liked this race, and a week of challenging climbs was very important for my conditioning. As for my performance during the stages that weren’t time trials, it went better day to day.  I still need some time to improve in the mountains, but it is very early in the season. For the moment, I am very happy with this stage win, and also the good GC placement of Michal Kwiatkowski. He really deserved it. This was a very good week for the team, especially winning both of the time trials.”

“It’s just a really positive atmosphere,” Martin said about the morale of the team. “You can really feel that everyone gives 100 percent — the riders, staff, mechanics, soigneurs, sports directors, really everybody. I am so happy and proud to be a part of this team. I think we really force each other to go to the limit and you really can feel it. A win for one of us is a win for the team. It gives us so much power, and makes everyone so successful. It runs pretty much by itself, I think.”

“I did everything I could — but to be honest, I was a little bit tired after this week even mentally,” Kwiatkowski said about his time trial performance. “This race was not so easy, but it is one I will never forget. It was marvelous to be surrounded by a team that was so supportive of me. I could have maybe done better, but for now it is important to enjoy the fact that I was 4th behind three of the best in the World. For me, I cannot complain about my placement with this kind of competition. I am happy and am looking forward to the next races with great morale.”

Results

1. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:10:25
2. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:00:06
3. Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team 0:00:10
4. Fabian Cancellara (Sui) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:12
5. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:14
6. Christopher Froome (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:00:15
7. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:20
8. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:21
9. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:00:23
10. Alex Dowsett (Gbr) Movistar Team
11. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano 0:00:24
12. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:26
13. Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge 0:00:27
14. Stijn Devolder (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:29
15. Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling
16. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:30
17. Alberto Contador Velasco (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
18. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:31
19. Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp-Endura
20. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:32
21. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:00:33
22. Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:00:36
23. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:39
24. Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia
25. Danilo Hondo (Ger) RadioShack Leopard
26. Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 0:00:40
27. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling
28. Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:42
29. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
30. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Esp) Katusha
31. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
32. Moreno Moser (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling
33. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 0:00:43
34. Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ
35. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Esp) Katusha
36. Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel-Euskadi
37. Angel Vicioso Arcos (Esp) Katusha 0:00:44
38. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:00:45
39. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Movistar Team
40. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team
41. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge 0:00:46
42. Daryl Impey (Rsa) Orica-GreenEdge
43. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:47
44. Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
45. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol
46. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:00:48
47. Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team 0:00:50
48. Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ
49. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida 0:00:51
50. Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha 0:00:52
51. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:00:53
52. Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
53. Jacobus Venter (Rsa) MTN-Qhubeka
54. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Esp) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
55. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:54
56. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
57. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team 0:00:55
58. Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura
59. Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano 0:00:56
60. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp-Endura
61. Paul Martens (Ger) Blanco Pro Cycling Team
62. Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Esp) Movistar Team
63. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:00:57
64. Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01:00
65. Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
66. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:01:03
67. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
68. José Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team NetApp-Endura
69. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:01:04
70. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack Leopard
71. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:01:06
72. Jorge Azanza Soto (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
73. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:01:07
74. Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
75. Miguel Minguez Ayala (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:08
76. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:01:09
77. Mauro Finetto (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:01:10
78. Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ
79. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ
80. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka 0:01:11
81. Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
82. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:12
83. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:01:13
84. Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team
85. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol 0:01:15
86. Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha
87. Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ 0:01:17
88. Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano
89. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:01:18
90. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:20
91. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:23
92. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:01:24
93. Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetApp-Endura
94. Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:26
95. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Blanco Pro Cycling Team
96. Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Esp) MTN-Qhubeka 0:01:27
97. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp 0:01:30
98. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:01:31
99. Lars Boom (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:01:32
100. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:01:34
101. Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:40
102. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:45
103. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:01:47
104. Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:52
105. Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:01:57
106. Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:58
107. Davide Appollonio (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:23
DNS Oscar Gatto (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia

Final GC

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 28:08:17
2. Christopher Froome (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:00:23
3. Alberto Contador Velasco (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:00:52
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:53
5. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Esp) Katusha 0:00:54
6. Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:21
7. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:02:03
8. Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team 0:02:42
9. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida 0:03:19
10. Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:03:35
11. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:38
12. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 0:03:48
13. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:03:55
14. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Esp) Movistar Team 0:04:38
15. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Esp) Katusha 0:05:12
16. Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:05:38
17. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:05:54
18. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:06:49
19. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:07:41
20. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp 0:07:54
21. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:08:21
22. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:09:46
23. José Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team NetApp-Endura 0:10:04
24. Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura 0:10:07
25. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:10:54
26. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:17:08
27. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:17:27
28. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ 0:17:40
29. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:17:49
30. Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:19:00
31. Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:19:51
32. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:20:00
33. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:20:30
34. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano 0:21:03
35. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Esp) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:21:29
36. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:22:50
37. Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Esp) MTN-Qhubeka 0:22:55
38. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:23:01
39. Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:24:21
40. Moreno Moser (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:24:36
41. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:24:58
42. Jorge Azanza Soto (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:25:01
43. Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:25:47
44. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:26:25
45. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:27:20
46. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Esp) Movistar Team 0:27:38
47. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp-Endura 0:27:45
48. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:29:12
49. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:30:03
50. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team 0:31:12
51. Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ 0:31:54
52. Angel Vicioso Arcos (Esp) Katusha 0:31:57
53. Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:33:38
54. Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:35:14
55. Mauro Finetto (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:35:24
56. Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Esp) Movistar Team 0:35:56
57. Stijn Devolder (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:36:01
58. Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp-Endura 0:36:56
59. Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha 0:37:58
60. Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ 0:40:02
61. Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 0:40:11
62. Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team 0:40:32
63. Alex Dowsett (Gbr) Movistar Team 0:40:48
64. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:40:55
65. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:41:25
66. Daryl Impey (Rsa) Orica-GreenEdge 0:41:43
67. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack Leopard 0:41:45
68. Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale 0:42:36
69. Miguel Minguez Ayala (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:42:46
70. Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:42:49
71. Fabian Cancellara (Sui) RadioShack Leopard 0:43:44
72. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) RadioShack Leopard 0:44:20
73. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:44:27
74. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka 0:45:23
75. Paul Martens (Ger) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:45:33
76. Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:46:11
77. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp 0:46:41
78. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge 0:47:37
79. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia 0:49:11
80. Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:50:03
81. Jacobus Venter (Rsa) MTN-Qhubeka 0:51:41
82. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp 0:52:45
83. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:54:18
84. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol 0:54:35
85. Lars Boom (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:54:50
86. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:54:58
87. Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha 0:55:53
88. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 0:56:05
89. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:56:46
90. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:57:07
91. Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano 0:57:08
92. Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:59:01
93. Danilo Hondo (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:59:42
94. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol 1:00:09
95. Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ 1:00:38
96. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 1:00:51
97. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 1:01:01
98. Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 1:02:20
99. Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 1:04:22
100. Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetApp-Endura 1:04:24
101. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Blanco Pro Cycling Team 1:07:17
102. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida 1:07:19
103. Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1:09:36
104. Davide Appollonio (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 1:09:50
105. Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ 1:10:20
106. Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica-GreenEdge 1:13:58
107. Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 1:16:12