French cycling hopes to get back on the path to victory in the biggest races with a new generation including Lenny Martinez, 20 years old.
Published on: 04/22/2024 – 3:14 p.m.
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Lenny Martinez will be one of the riders to watch during the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland (April 23 to 28). It must be said that the pocket climber had a thunderous start to the season, with four victories, and a second place behind Jonas Vingegaard at the Gran Camiño in Spain, and a seventh place in the standings at the Tour of Catalonia.
Meteorological rise
« Obviously, when we are doing well, we set slightly higher goals for ourselves. The idea was to make Top 10 in Catalonia, Top 10 in Romandie, Top 10 on a grand Tour. I tell myself that maybe I can do a little better », he said on the eve of the Tour de Romandie where he will take his team alongside David Gaudu.
Given his meteoric rise, he can hope to quickly aim to win a stage race, something no Frenchman has achieved at World Tour level since Christophe Moreau in 2007. “ In a career, it’s a goal. But for the moment, I don’t yet have the level to win races like the Tour of Catalonia. It’s Grand Tour winners who win them (Pogacar this year, editor’s note), so it’s quite complicated », puts into perspective this rider whose father is Miguel, Olympic mountain bike champion in 2000, and a grandfather Mariano, best climber of the 1978 Tour.
In the meantime, Lenny Martinez’s excellent results, his exceptional power-to-weight ratio and his potential are attracting the eyes of other teams as he reaches the end of his contract with the French team Groupama-FDJ. Last year, he became the youngest rider since 1904 to wear the leader’s jersey on a Grand Tour, for two days, during the Tour of Spain.
Ultimately, it is obviously the Tour de France that drives it. “ I have the dream of winning the Tour de France, like many riders “. But it will not be for 2024, since Lenny Martinez, a cyclo-cross specialist in his early days, has the Tour of Spain again on his program this season. For his first season among professionals in 2023, the pocket climber did not waste any time: he also won the Mont Ventoux Challenge race, his first success among professionals.
