The final podium of this recently concluded World Championship road race in Ponferrada closely resembled the one from this season’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Not only the course eventually proved to be tailor made for Ardennes specialists who played prominent roles in the finale, but Daniel Martin, again, crashed, losing a chance to fight for the most coveted rainbow jersey.

The 28-year old Irishman was unhappy to realize that the bad luck still continue to chase him after he had crashed in a final turn of Liege being close to defending his 2013 title and, even more spectacularly, hit the deck during the opening team time trial of the Giro d’Italia in Belfast.

“At the top of the climb just before the downhill with a few laps to go some guy just switched right and went into the barriers and I had nowhere to go,” the Garmin-Sharp man explained the Sticky Bottle.

“My bad luck continues; it’s the way it happens. I could have been badly hurt… it just took a scar off (my knee) from before.

“I went into the barriers so I got a bit banged up and a few bruises. And I also got a dead leg as well and I couldn’t get going,”

However, Martin admitted that even if he had made it back to the peloton, most likely he wouldn’t have been able to challenge the strongest riders on the circuit around Ponferrada, which theoretically suited him down to the ground.

“I was holding the gap, then they’d bring the cars through and then I’d almost get back,” he said of the chase that ultimately failed.

“I wasn’t having a great day anyway; I probably would have been in the same group as Nico. I didn’t have super legs to start with. I’m still tired from the Vuelta.

“I did quite a bit of training since then. I’m just tired mentally and physically from what has been a hard few weeks. But we were still there in the race to win today.

“It’s always great to ride with Nico; we were in the race to win and that’s how we rode. We’re a country now that waits for the final, but I didn’t get that far.

“It’s unfortunate I couldn’t get to show the jersey more but it’s bad luck again… hopefully all these crashes will add up to something in the future,” he said, optimistically as ever.

This year’s World Championship road race course has been criticized for being dangerous and Martin became just another of its casualties. Despite that, the 28-year old Garmin-Sharp rider played down suggestions that it had a huge impact on how the race has developed and only regretted that it couldn’t take place in dryer conditions.

“I think everyone was aware that right hander onto the bridge was dangerous so everyone took it easy,” he said.

“It’s a pro race and I don’t think there was anybody who slid out. Everyone knows what they’re doing and nobody’s taking risks. It was very controlled.

“It’s just unfortunate with the rain because it would have been a fantastic circuit in the dry. Those few laps when it did dry out; it was really flowing and really fast and a really good racing circuit.

“But in the rain it’s single-file the whole circuit. No one can race it; it’s a case of positioning as opposed to the strongest guys being at the front.

“I think we were unlucky with the rain but there was a worthy winner.”

Looking back at his hectic season marred by crashes, Irishman hoped to take important lesson from those experiences and for more good luck next year.

“I can’t believe it’s time for Lombardia again and back out to Beijing. This week now I must freshen up and recharge the batteries.

“I haven’t won a race this year yet. I’ve had a few near misses so I’d really like to win a race to finish off the season. But having said that, it’s still not been a bad year, I almost won Liege and Fleche Wallone.

“Considering the bad luck and crashes, it’s still not been a bad year. I got a top 10 in a Grand Tour. I think the thing about this year is I learned a lot about myself and I’ve learned how to come back from injuries.

“And that’s something I’ve never had to do before. Those setbacks definitely make you stronger; it’s been a big year in my life.

“It’s the way it is, I seem to be getting a reputation for crashing. But it was just wrong place wrong time again, it happens in cycling and you have to move on again.”