Defending Liège-Bastogne-Liège champion Daniel Martin returned to Ardennes campaign in high spirits but faltered in the prelude of the week, Amster Gold Race. Suffering from a sustained knee injury, the Garmin-Sharp rider opted to pull out of Amstel in consideration of the following races.

Martin abandoned the race with more than 70 kilometers to go without being involved in major crashes. According to the Irishman himself, he has been bothered by an injured right knee since the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya at the end of the March.

"It's just a little bit of pain and it's been bothering me for the last couple of weeks. My foot got a little bit locked somehow during Catalunya when it got really cold, I irritated my ankle a bit and one thing has led to another." Martin told Cyclingnews in an interview.

Despite the upset, Martin remains optimistic about his condition and upcoming races, including Flèche-Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro d'Italia.

"We'll see the physio tonight and see what happens but I'm not worried about participating on Wednesday. It's been getting better each day and I think I'm in really good condition." Martin said. "It's more of a precautionary thing because I don't want to risk the Giro or Flèche and Liège."

"I just need to get my leg working properly. You can't pedal with one leg. But I think tomorrow or by Tuesday it will be perfect."

It's a lackluster day of racing for Garmin-Sharp eventually. The best performer of the team is Fabian Wegmann, who managed to get 14th in the uphill sprint on Cauberg.