The Cannes native Lenny Martinez of the Bahrain Victorious team claimed a solo victory this Sunday, June 15, on the eighth stage of the Dauphiné, after a decisive attack on the Mont-Cenis pass.
Lenny Martinez found his legs and rhythm, just a day after a notable underperformance (86th, over 35 minutes behind the leaders). Although he wasn’t in form at the start of the week, the Maralpin had marked this stage on his calendar. The Frenchman slipped into the breakaway of the day in the first few kilometers. Ten riders made up the breakaway, including Sepp Kuss, Enric Mas, Valentin Paret-Peintre, and Mathieu Van der Poel.
The latter attempted to make a difference in the intermediate sprint in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. But his effort wasn’t enough. The chasing peloton caught him before the foot of the day’s last challenge: the Mont-Cenis pass.
In this climb, Enric Mas increased the pace. Lenny Martinez stayed on his wheel without losing any ground. Then, seven kilometers from the finish, the French rider attacked. The Spaniard was caught off guard and couldn’t follow. Lenny Martinez quickly widened the gap.
He then maintained his pace to the summit and crossed the finish line alone, on the Mont-Cenis plateau, despite the return of the favorites behind him.
A stage before the Tour de France
With this victory, Lenny Martinez adds yet another performance before the Tour de France. It will be his second participation in the Grande Boucle. “Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well, and the days before that weren’t great either. Honestly, I didn’t expect much today. At the start, I felt good. I told myself I’d try to get into the breakaway,” the Cannes native shared at the end of the race. While doubts lingered for a long time about the sustainability of this breakaway, the young Frenchman believed in it until the end: “I kept thinking it would really be a shame to get caught just before the line. I was all out until the last kilometer.”
Already a winner at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie this season, the 20-year-old rider continues to build his track record. This stage of the Dauphiné gives him his ninth career victory.
Two weeks before the Tour departure, this victory validates his preparation. The French rider shows that he knows how to respond after a tough day. “I came for the general classification. In the end, it didn’t go too well overall, but I kind of saved the week with the team. The next race will be the Tour de France, and I hope to achieve the same. I won’t be there for the general classification, but I would like to grab a stage as well.”
This Sunday, Lenny Martinez changed the course of recent days and reminded everyone that he will be a contender to watch this summer.
