"A lot of riders came to congratulate me" - Lenny Martinez enjoys first day in Red at La Vuelta

20-year-old Lenny Martinez was arguably the big winner of stage 6 at the Vuelta a Espana. Although he didn't manage to take the win, the Frenchman moved into the overall race lead.

At the first Grand Tour of his burgeoning career, Martinez enjoyed every second of his time in the Red Jersey during stage 7. “Today the main goal was of course to keep the red jersey. I didn't want to fall and I didn't want to lose time," Martinez said in a post-stage interview with Eurosport.

The stage was won by Martinez's compatriot Geoffrey Soupe whilst for the Groupama - FDJ leader, it was more about staying safe in and amongst the chaos and crash-marred finale of the day that saw numerous riders hit the deck.

“My teammates helped me a lot all day to keep me in front,” Martinez praises. “Today was a beautiful day. A lot of riders came to congratulate me. I've enjoyed it."