Dan Martin fell on his bike as he crossed the finish line at Gran Piemonte, was in deep pain trying to chase Egan Bernal, was bloodied and bruised from a mid-race fall, and was exhausted from running three hard Italian races in just five days! He was in the middle of a race that had been a long time coming. But he rallied to start all over again on Saturday at Il Lombardia, ending his 2019 season and his time with UAE Team Emirates before moving to the Israel Cycling Academy team in 2020. Like Bernal, Martin is one of the few Tour de France riders still racing hard in pursuit of success in the Italian classic. He may have wanted a more intense race as a preparation period for Il Lombardia. I've never raced this hard before with Lombardia just around the corner," he said. I've done three other races this week and they were all tough. But let's see what we can do. Il Lombardia is his last race with UAE Team Emirates.

Martin finished 18th in the Giro delle Miglia and was caught by Primoz Roglic on the climb to San Luca. He made a decisive attack on Tuesday's Tre Valli Varesine, but took a wrong turn along with the rest of the competitors as they followed the TV bike. So, despite missing the attack, Roglic won again.

On the 10 km climb to the Oropa finish at Gran Piemonte, Martín lost first and second place to Bernal and teammate Ivan Sosa. In the end, Martín finished fifth, 11 seconds behind Nance Peters (AG2R La Mondiale) and Emmanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). "I really wanted to win because this is a beautiful finish here. I just wasn't strong enough. My legs were good, I felt good, but Egan was strong and he took me out of the loop," Martin admitted. 'My wrist is a little sore from sliding in the corners. This is not good 48 hours before Lombardia, but I should be okay.

"I have to thank my team, they did a great job. Of course things didn't always go our way, but I learned a lot about myself and I think the team learned a lot too. We can move forward together and use this experience for the next chapter."

Martín won Il Lombardia in 2014 when the "Race of the Fallen Leaves" finished in Bergamo. This year, the 243-km Monument Classic will go in the opposite direction, finishing in Como after the climb to Madonna del Ghisallo, the steep Muro di Solmano, and the often decisive Civiglio.

The very slow San Fermo della Battaglia climb returns this year to provide a launching pad for the attack. Martin's 2014 victory, aggressive racing style, and current form make the Irishman one of the favorites to win, along with Bernal, Roglic, Alejandro Valverde, Michael Woods, and Vincenzo Nibali.

"Lombardia is going to be interesting for me," Martin suggested. It's hard to know how things are going to pan out early in the season. One day you're in good shape, another day you're not. I woke up today in a bad mood, but I felt good on the bike. I hope it will be the same on Saturday. Diego Ulissi is also feeling good."

Martin hopes to end the season on a high note and leave UAE Team Emirates on a positive note.

"I'm still here in October because I really enjoy racing. After the Tour, I took some time off to recover, rode the Deutschland Tour, and went to Canada for two WorldTour races." He was happy to work for the team. I wanted to give something back to Ulissi."

Martin's two seasons with UAE Team Emirates were not his best; he won a stage at the 2018 Tour de France and suffered a back injury but still won the Super Combat prize. This year he was less impressive, often frustrated that something was "blocking" his performance. Norwegian television reported that it was related to the team's sports drink, which also affected Alexander Kristoff.

Martin prefers to mask his problems and frustrations of the past two years with a show of class. He signed a two-year contract with the Israel Cycling Academy to take over Katusha-Alpecin and qualify for the 2020 World Tour before leading the team in hilly classic races and perhaps the Tour de France. He is now 33 and the father of two twins, but is eager to race hard.

"It's been a good two years," Martin said of his time with UAE Team Emirates.