Aurélien Canot, Media365, published on Monday 05 May 2025 at 11:33 am
Second Sunday of this Tour de Romandie whose last stage he had approached with the leader on the shoulders, Lenny Martinez left the test with many hopes for the future, ever greater ambitions before tackling the Dauphiné in June, and no disappointment to have missed this first victory in World Tour in a stages racing for a Frenchman for eighteen years.
Since the coronation of Christophe Moreau on the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2007, no more French people have managed to win a stages race at the highest level (World Tour). Second Sunday in the final ranking of the Romandie Tour of Romandie at 26 seconds from Joao Almeida at the end of a last individual time trial of which the Portuguese is one of the specialists unlike the young tricolor runner of 21 years, Lenny Martinez, who arrived at 13th of this time, was not this hero who came to end at eighteen years of detect. But it was probably only a given-up for our young nugget, which proved throughout the week on the Italian roads that he already had his shoulders to become one of the leaders of the peloton, and not only of his Bahrain-Victorious team. The son of the former Olympic mountain bike champion Miguel Martinez closed the page of this Romandie Tour with great hope for the future. And not only thinking of succeeding Moreau. “It is not a goal, but it would be nice to achieve it, especially when it has been a long time since it was done (…) I was only 21 years old, I touched the victory as general, I will try to approach it in the coming years, I think it is something attainable”, analysis in The team The Cannois, delighted with his performance despite this last day which cost him the yellow jersey he was still carrying on this final stage, and therefore this first victory in World Tour on arrival.
Martinez: “The turn? I don’t think I will go for the general”
“I am not at all disappointed, I could not push more. Joao Almeida was stronger. It is my first podium in World Tour, I win a step, it’s a very good week. It is experience that I am giving up. I now know that I did it once and that it can come back in the future to be the last day on a time. Last, it’s always special, and I really appreciate it.” Martinez, who signed her first podium on a stage race in the category two months after winning his first stage victory at this level on Sunday, in Paris-Nice, on Sunday. We will find Marc Madiot’s ex-protection in early June on the Dauphiné, where he should take on the role of co-lead this time, alongside Colombian Santiago Buitrago. “It would be good to go and seek a stage victory and make a good general,” admits the interested party, less ambitious, however, when we talk to him about the next Tour de France. “There is another pair of sleeves, I don’t think I will go for the general”. Be careful however, because with the talented and ambitious Martinez, everything can change very quickly.
