CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious star Lenny Martinez claimed victory in the eighth and final stage of Paris–Nice yesterday, winning in Nice after an attacking move in the closing kilometres of the 129.2km leg around the Cote d’Azur.
After a controlled opening phase, the race came to life on the climbs above Nice. On the Cote du Linguador (3.3km at 8.2 per cent) with around 20 kilometres remaining, Jonas Vingegaard launched an attack, with Martinez the only rider able to follow. The move came after strong positioning work from teammate Damiano Caruso at the bottom of the climb.
The two riders quickly opened a gap over the chasing group and worked together over the final kilometres to hold their advantage to the finish in Nice, which was relocated this year due to local elections.
In the sprint between the two leaders, Martinez proved the faster and crossed the line first to take the stage win on roads close to his birthplace of Cannes. Vingegaard finished second, while Harold Tejada completed the podium in third place.
“This victory means a lot to me,” said Martinez. “Winning here in Nice, close to where I grew up, makes it even more special.
“It was a hard week of racing and there were some complicated stages, but I’m really happy with everything I’ve done.
“Today I felt good that I was able to follow Jonas when he attacked. To win against a rider like him shows how much I’ve improved since last year, both physically and mentally. It’s also very special because my parents were here at the finish, so to win in front of them makes this moment even more meaningful.”
Bahrain Victorious’s sports director Roman Kreuziger added: “We were already down to four riders today because Nikias (Arndt) got ill overnight, so it wasn’t an easy situation for the team. But Lenny was very confident before the stage and the guys did a really good job. Damiano (Caruso) came back to the group at the right moment and positioned Lenny perfectly behind Jonas before the steep climb. After that, Lenny handled the situation very well. He stayed calm even with the chasers coming from behind and finished it off in the sprint.
“Beating Jonas on the last day of Paris-Nice is something really special. It’s a big boost for the whole team and something we can be very proud of.”
With yesterday’s result, Martinez finished fifth overall on the race’s general classification (GC), and ranked third in the best young rider standings. Martinez was also fifth in both the points rankings, where he climbed 13 spots on the final day, and in the King of the Mountain classification, where he went up by four places.
Also yesterday in Europe, Edoardo Zambanini was Bahrain Victorious’s best finisher in the seventh and final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy.
Santiago Buitrago finished in seventh on the GC, while Zambanini ranked eighth amongst the best young riders with teammate Antonio Tiberi in 10th.
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