CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious’ young French rider Lenny Martinez had a day yesterday in the Tour de France that will live long in his memory.
The exceptional climber was once again in the early breakaway in the event’s gruelling 14th stage, which many in the sport had designated as the race’s ‘Queen Stage’.
Officially, stage 18 to Col de la Loze has that moniker, but with 5,000 vertical metres and the fabled cols of the Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde, and Luchon-Superbagnères, this parcours at least runs it close.
By collecting maximum points on the first two climbs (20 and five), and more on the third, Martinez moved onto 60 points, and by the end of the day was eight clear of Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG in the race to be King of the Mountains (KoM) in Paris next Sunday.
By virtue of being the first rider to pass 50 KoM points on the 50th year of the ‘Maillot a Pois’, he also received a special award on the podium in Superbagneres, plus the ‘Souvenir Jacques Goddet’ for cresting the Tourmalet ahead of the rest of the peloton.
Martinez received the adulation of the fans for a third time as the ‘Most Aggressive Rider’ of the day, and with another 98km out in front today, the 22-year-old is now the rider with the most time spent in breakaways with 12 hours 26 minutes 30 seconds at this year’s edition of the world’s most famous bike race.
While he was slightly disappointed at not having been able to contest the stage with winner Thymen Arensmen of Ineos Grenadiers, Martinez accepted he had done another very good day’s work in The Pyrenees.
“The plan was the first three climbs, then keep my place until the finish, but in the end the peloton caught me so I conserved my energy in the last 30km,” he said. “I almost took the first three as planned so I think it was a good day, and above all I had the legs to be first over the Tourmalet, so I’m content.
“At times, visibility was so bad we couldn’t even see the road, so we were using the bike computers to know when the corners were coming!
“I’ll try every day to do my best and to take more points like this and play the game on the big stages that are left.
“I’m happy, but there are so many days where I can lose the jersey. I’ll be on cloud nine if I still have it in Paris!”
Bahrain Victorious’ lead sports director Roman Kreuziger praised what Lenny had achieved on such a tough five hours in the saddle, and continues to see the bigger picture going forward.
“We had a goal to be in the break and to get the points with Lenny, and of course we were also thinking about the stage,” he said. “I think tactically Lenny did well, and hats off to Arensmen who did an impressive performance today; it would have been difficult to push him.
“On the final climb, when we knew we wouldn’t be in the points, of course we made the decision to save him for the coming days. Lenny took an important step today, and because it will be extremely tough to keep the jersey until Paris, he should enjoy every single moment.
“He has also confirmed again that he can be there with the best climbers, so it was important for us.
“Tomorrow is another stage, and we have to focus on some of the others because I’m pretty sure a breakaway will make it. Let’s hope one or two of our guys have the legs!”
Today’s 15th stage is 169.3km from Muret to Carcassonne, and includes two third-category climbs (maximum two points each) and one category two (maximum five points).
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