"I wasn’t going to ask him to let me..." - Lenny Martínez disappointed but forced to settle behind Tadej Pogacar on Suisse queen stage
Cycling
Lenny Martínez has shown at the Tour de Suisse that he is ready for the Tour de France, but the results he obtained were not what he hoped for. A stellar climbing performance on stage 5 almost earned him the stage win, but he was put face to face with none other than Tadej Pogacar.
On stage 1 of the Swiss race, both he and Antonio Tiberi lost full contact with the fight for the overall classification on the stage that opened up by surprise under Pogacar's pressure. It was a big disappointment, and whilst Tiberi's worries over form are very real, that is not the case with Martínez.
Martínez looks for success in the breakaway
Now having the freedom, he joined the day's breakaway with Afonso Eulálio on the final day of the race. Two ascents of the 19-kilometer Col de la Croix and the final 11-kilometer long ascent to Villars-sur-Ollon proved to make for a real mountain stage.
Martínez was the strongest out of the men in front, and attacked the final climb. In short, he would've been successful, if it weren't for the World Champion. Despite being in the breakaway all day, he did not lose any meaningful time towards his direct rivals in the peloton, showcasing his best form.
But in the final kilometer he was joined by Pogacar, who reportedly did 7.2W/Kg throughout 24 minutes - a mammoth effort, one that cut the gap to Martínez, and created the winning difference already inside the final kilometer.
Lenny Martinez at the 2026 Tour de Suisse
“There’s some disappointment. I think that if I’d had maybe 10 or 15 seconds more, I would have made it to the flat part, and it might have worked out," Martínez said to CyclingPro.net. "But I was in the breakaway all day. I gave it a go. I thought I might win, but he was a little stronger, so that’s just how it goes.”
If he had begun the climb in the peloton he would stand little chance of taking the win, and so he opted to go for an elusive stage win, just as happened on the final day of Auvergne last year. But this time around, the Slovenian was not conservative.
“I’m glad to have reassured myself. My legs feel great. Day by day, they’ve been getting better. I got off to a really bad start at this Tour de Suisse, so I can see that things are better now, my level has come back up a bit.”
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Little to be done against Pogacar
Martínez looked to get the KOM jersey at last year's Tour, the points system eventually got in the way and benefited the GC men. This time around a more consistent Martínez should aim for GC, under the radar as his home nation eyes up Paul Seixas' chances.
But if Martínez wants to win a stage, he knows that this has to be through breakaways against competition of such level.
“Tadej wins a lot of races, and that’s exactly what he wanted to do again today. It’s complicated but that’s how it is," the Frenchman is aware of. "That’s cycling. I wasn’t going to ask him to let me beat him.”
On the climb to Villars-sur-Ollon there were hopes and a lot of motivation, but against a rider like Pogacar very little can be done. “I could see he was gaining time little by little, not all at once, so that shows the level was there. I gave it my all, so I couldn’t have done any better," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
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