"I want him to become the next Thibaut Pinot": Bahrain DS expects Lenny Martinez to stand at the top in a few years

Bahrain - Victorious leaders cannot be satisfied with how the 2025 season unfolded. The relatively young team failed to deliver in the most important races on the calendar, and so the weight of result came down to the most experienced man - Damiano Caruso - who somewhat salvaged Bahrain's season with a Giro d'Italia top-5. For the team's newcomer star Lenny Martinez, it was a learning year in a new environment as he had to rediscover joy of cycling following a dramatic fall-out with previous team Groupama - FDJ. And his 2nd place overall at the Tour de Romandie supports the idea that his potential is anything but gone.

On the 2025 ranking, Bahrain fell right into the middle of the WorldTour teams with 10th position, however they finished much closer to ProTeams, than to the 5 best teams in the world. Yet the changes in roster are not substantial. The most exciting signings are Attila Valter, Alec Segaert and Jakob Omrzel, who replace Fred Wright, Jack Haig and Torstein Traeen.

What we can deduce from that is the team continues to put emphasis on general classifications with leaders Antonio Tiberi, Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago, Damiano Caruso and Pello Bilbao, all riders capable of finishing top-5 at a Grand Tour. And while Omrzel could replace the retiring (at the end of 2026) Caruso in the future, Bahrain DS Milan Erzen hopes that Martinez will already pick up the challenge this season.

"Lenny has been on my list of riders for four years," he tells Cyclism'Actu about the "discovery" of Martinez. "I've really followed him since his junior days, and I've been impressed. I even spoke with his agent when he moved up from juniors to the U23 category."

At Bahrain, they have no doubts about the 22-year-old's future as a GC star: "Lenny has incredibly high potential to become a Grand Tour rider. This year, he's won a stage in almost every stage race he's entered, which shows he has the ability to compete in this type of race."

According to Erzen, Martinez's incorporation into the team went smoothly: "It was complicated for him this year because everything was completely different, no French riders on the team, but I think he adapted very well."

French fans have been waiting for a Tour de France victory since Bernard Hinault's fifth triumph in 1985. The previous generation led by Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet came close at times, but the Team Sky train turned out to have been the dominant force of the past decade. Will Martinez end the fasting?

"When he asked me what I expected of him, my plan was for him to become the best French rider over the next decade. He asked me, 'Like Thibaut Pinot?' and I told him yes. France has many other talented riders, but I think Lenny is one of them," the Slovenian DS sounds confident.

That he didn't win any major races yet in his career? "We have to remember that Lenny is 22 years old; he still has to develop his personality. Some riders are already mature at 20, while others need more time. It's not something we can't correct."

As for 2026, the target won't be any other than the Tour de France, but once again without GC responsibilities. "Obviously, he's going to ride the Tour de France, without any expectations of the general classification. We're just going to try to get him used to the world's biggest race for another year, because there's a lot of stress and media attention. His friends on the road, who are there for him, can sometimes be added pressure," Erzen concluded.