"it doesn't mean Lenny is a cheater" - Guilty Bahrain DS explains Col du Glandon 'bidon gate'
Cycling
A sticky bottle is something riders in pro cycling use to their advantage, but rarely in the way that Lenny Martínez did during stage 18 to help him gain KOM points. The absurd support he got from the team car didn't see true consequences and also led to a lot of criticism of his actions on social media and the peloton.
This happened on the first climb of the day, the Col du Glandon, after he had been dropped from the breakaway. With his KOM jersey hanging by a thread - he eventually lost it at the end of the stage to Tadej Pogacar - he asked for food and drinks from the team car. Three times.
This was also fully shown on the live TV broadcast and there was truly no way to hide from the negative commentary. He scored 20 points at the top of the climb after being able to regain contact with the group, however he was only penalized 8 at the end of the day - a positive net worth for the Frenchman's controversial actions.
But DS Roman Kreuziger was naturally also fined at the end of the day, and this morning he was asked about the incident. "I apologized and explained everything to the commissaires. There was some miscommunication between Lenny and me,. French and English, you know," Kreuziger said in an interview with Sporza. "It wasn't pretty, but it doesn't mean Lenny is a cheater or that he did anything wrong.
TV2 pundit Christian Moberg said that "I think it was over the line" and Visma boss Richard Plugge himself was also very harsh on the Frenchman and the UCI's lack of true consequences for the youngster: “Even if you’re struggling just to stay in the race, it’s not allowed. But here it had a clear impact on the classification.”
Within Bahrain as well it's clear that not everyone was on the same page, and that Kreuziger didn't push for Martínez' actions. Rather, it was a choice from the Frenchman. "But Lenny is still young and has a lot to learn. He came to our car on a part of the climb where it wasn't necessary," the former pro added. "It was the easiest part. Because after that, he showed that he's punchy enough. We're trying to turn the negativity around today."
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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.
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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)...
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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