"I really thought I would perform much worse" - Lenny Martínez continues to surprise himself with strong time-trial at Vuelta a Espana

Lenny Martínez is on his Grand Tour debut. So far, after 10 days of racing, it has pretty much been as impressive as one could've hoped for. He remains fifth in the overall classification after defending himself quite well in the time-trial.

“I was really afraid to blow myself up, especially because I wasn't feeling really well. I now lose two to two and a half minutes to the world time trial champion, which is very normal for a climber weighing fifty kilos," the 20-year old said in a post-race interview. "I really thought I would perform much worse, so in the end it is a positive time trial.”

An ultra-lightweight, the mountains are Martínez' terrain. He's so far performed quite well in them, and even enjoyed a stint in the red jersey. He's now lost the white jersey to Remco Evenepoel, but remains well within the fight for a top spot. It's impossible to know how his race will be from now onwards as he enters new terrains, however the Groupama - FDJ leader has proven a worthy leader and continues to match some of the best in the world when it comes to stage-racing.

“I think he put in a very good performance. He hasn't lost much time. To lose just over two minutes on Evenepoel in this particular time trial is really, really good," team DS Nicolas Boisson added. "Not only in terms of results, but his time trial was also great technically. He remained quite stable on his bike until the end. This Vuelta, Lenny is discovering how to ride a classification, and what is involved. If one day things go completely wrong, so be it. He will continue to fight until the end."