"I would have liked if there were a few more riders in the breakaway" - Lenny Martinez disappointed about missed chance

Some may have wondered where was Lenny Martinez, what was wrong with him at the start of the Tour? The Frenchman provided a resolute answer today when joined the daily breakaway and even was the last man standing from the brave quartet.

"I would have liked a few more riders in the breakaway to maybe win today," Martinez, who was awarded the combativity prize for his effort today, said in a press communication.

The climber of Bahrain - Victorious even seemed a bit disappointed that this chance to win a stage slipped through their fingers. "You never know if the peloton are going to go for the win. Today, they did, and with only four riders in the breakaway, it was difficult to gain more time. I'll try again in the next few days."

"When I saw that we only had a minute or two, I knew it was going to be difficult, so I tried to enjoy myself at the front." It was certainly nice to see the 21-year-old enjoying himself again, compared to the defeated man we saw reflected in his face as he arrived last in the opening stage.

As peloton appeared behind the front group, Martinez smelled his opportunity to grab the red numbers and a mountain sprint Côte de Belbeuf: "When I was alone in the lead, it was pretty nice. My legs still felt good and there were some nice gradients."

To become the King of the Mountains seems like an interesting goal to pursue for the rider who is already almost half an hour down in general classification. "I also scored some points for the polka dot jersey. Maybe I'll go for it again in the future." This competition will be only decided in the third week, so there should be more than enough time to weigh options.