The Argyle Armada lit up today’s 185.3 km Adèlie de Vitrè road race from the beginning, flying the blue and orange in break after break. About 30 km into the race, Christophe Laurent was the first one to go off with fellow Frenchman Christophe Moreau.

The next big break came when Dan Martin, Danny Pate and Pat McCarty joined a healthy group of about 32 that kept things moving on the challenging course. From that group, Danny Pate went off with two others. They held their own until about 9 km to go when the front group of 30+ came together for the final sprint.

That’s when the youngest member of the Slipstream/Chipotle pro team - 20-year-old Dan Martin - made his move. Though he wasn’t in contention for the win, he did manage a strong 6th place finish in the bunch sprint.

“The team rode awesome today! There wasn’t one argyle-less break all day,” said Dan. “I guess sixth in a big race on the French calendar isn’t too bad for my second month as a pro. I’m just happy that all the hard training has come through and the form is coming on strong.”

PRELIMINARY Slipstream results
1. Kevin Ista 5:52′ (33.8 kph average)

6. Dan Martin
20. Pat McCarty
30. Danny Pate
TBA. Lucas Euser
TBA. Christophe Laurent
TBA. Kilian Patour