Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) secured the biggest victory of his career in yesterday's queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya when he managed to hold off the Sky train on the final climb. However, he admitted that the victory might not have been his, had it not been for the crash of race leader Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).

Daniel Martin has always loved the Volta a Catalunya. His team has its European base in the Catalonian city of Girona, and he is used to train on the region's roads. Furthermore, the race was the scene of his breakthrough performance when he battled Alejandro Valverde for the overall win in 2009 and with a mountainous route and usually no time trial, it suits his characteristics perfectly.

Yesterday, the race become even dearer to his heart as he soloed to an amazing victory in the queen stage of this year's race. Part of an early 23-man group, he soloed off the front on the final climb and held off the mighty Sky train single-handedly to take over the overall lead.

His familiarity with the region made the victory special and also helped him along the way.

"The final climb was very hard, but I was familiar with it, and I knew how I had to pace myself," he said in an interview with biciciclicmo.com ."I managed the climb really well. To win a stage littered with climbs and on home soil in Catalonia is very special. It is my most beautiful victory. I wanted to win this stage - our whole staff wanted to - because our headquarters are in Girona. We had prepared specifically for this stage."

Benefited from Valverde's crash

Earlier in the stage, the break had been kept under firm control by the Movistar team of race leader Alejandro Valverde. An unfortunate crash, however, forced the Spaniard to abandon, and during the ensuing hesitation the gap to the break increased from 2 minutes to 4.40.

Martin admitted that his win was in part due to Valverde's bad luck.

 "It was not planned to get that result," he said. "We thought the Movistar riders would control the break. I hate to say it, but Valverde's crash benefited me because it gave us a few extra minutes," Martin says

Assistance from a Giro champion

In the break, Martin was assisted by team mate Ryder Hesjedal. The defending Giro champion sacrificed his own chances to set up his Irish colleague, and he set a very strong tempo on the penultimate climb.

Martin was grateful for the effort.

"It was fast all day, it was a very hard stage," he said. "It is fantastic to have Ryder, Giro champion, working for you. I'm happy for the victory which is also due to Ryder's effort."

Montjuic will be difficult

Martin is now the in the overall lead 10 seconds ahead of Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha). He will try to fulfill his dream of winning the team's home race, but he knows that he faces one of the most gifted climbers in the peloton.

In particular, the final stage in Barcelona poses a threat. The race finishes with 8 laps on a circuit containing the short Montjuic climb. In last year's Vuelta, Rodriguez managed to use his strength on short, steep ascents to escape the clutches of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome and Valverde, and he will without any doubt try to do the same on Sunday.

Martin is fully aware of that threat.

"The most difficult part will be Montjuic," he said "This explosive 2 km climb favours Joaquin Rodriguez a lot, but I do not go bad either, so I hope to win the race. "

The race continues today with its fifth stage which on paper seems to be one for the sprinters.