CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious superstar Lenny Martinez finished second overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya yesterday, closing out a solid and consistent week at the seven-day UCI World Tour race.
The event, covering over 1,000 kilometres and featuring several summit finishes, was decided in the high mountains. On stage five to La Molina, which was shortened due to weather conditions, Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma-Lease a Bike made the difference on the final climb, while Martinez limited his losses to remain in contention for the general classification (GC).
He moved into second place overall the following day on stage six to Queralt, finishing second on the stage after a strong ride on the final climb, as the group behind the race leader split under pressure. A puncture in the final kilometres cost him the chance to fight for the stage win, but did not affect his position in the standings.
On the final stage yesterday in Barcelona, raced on the Montjuic circuit, Martinez stayed out of trouble and held his position to secure second overall.
Alongside his GC podium, Martinez also won the young rider classification, reflecting his consistency across the week.
“It was a bit of a strange week for me,” he said. “I didn’t feel great at the start, I was a bit sick and struggled to recover, so the first stage was quite difficult. But day by day I started to feel better, and that was a positive. I think the key moment for me was the first mountain stage. From there, I could see that my level was improving, and the team really supported me a lot to stay in the race and avoid mistakes.
“In the mountains I felt good again, and I could show my level, so I’m happy with that and with how the race went overall.
“My shape is good. I think it can still improve, but we are going in the right direction, and I’m confident for the next races.”
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