"It is every rider's dream to become the leader in a Grand Tour" - Lenny Martinez not planning on being transitional Red Jersey at La Vuelta

Just 20 years old and in his debut Grand Tour, Groupama - FDJ's Lenny Martinez has become the new Red Jersey, taking the overall lead of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana after finishing second on stage 6.

“This is incredible. It is every rider's dream to become the leader in a Grand Tour," Martinez told Eurosport afterwards. “The whole team sacrificed themselves for me, so I wanted to give them something in return. This is beautiful. To be honest, I've been thinking about it all day.”

Although he narrowly missed out on the stage win to breakaway companion Sepp Kuss, Martinez took the ultimate prize of the Red Jersey, leading the general classification by just 6 seconds over the American.

“This is something very big. I'm almost afraid to wear the jersey," he says. Can he take it all the way and win the 2023 Vuelta a Espana? "I don't really know how to proceed now. In any case, I will defend the jersey together with the team.”