“It was a big mistake to try to follow Tadej Pogacar... I completely blew up” – Lenny Martinez pays price for chasing world champion in Romandie

Lenny Martinez did not hesitate when reflecting on the moment that defined his ride on the queen stage of the Tour de Romandie. When Tadej Pogacar accelerated on the final ascent of the Jaunpass, the young Frenchman made his decision instinctively and paid for it almost immediately.

“It was a big mistake to try to follow him. I completely blew up,” Martinez told DirectVelo after the stage, having earlier pulled on the white jersey as best young rider.

The move came 3.2 kilometres from the summit of the final climb, a point where Pogacar once again imposed himself on the race. Martinez briefly tried to match the acceleration, drawing on the memory of earlier in the week when he had been able to respond more comfortably.

“I thought it would be like the first stage, but he was a bit stronger today," added the Bahrain - Victorious climber. "I thought he might ease off a bit, but that wasn’t the case.”

That moment effectively ended Martinez’s chances of staying with the very best on the climb. Having gone into the red, he was soon distanced and then passed by Florian Lipowitz, who would go on to finish second on the stage behind Pogacar.

From there, the race shifted into damage limitation. Jorgen Nordhagen bridged across, and the pair initially found some rhythm in the chase. “But I thought it was better to wait for a group for the descent.”

That decision reflected both the pace on the climb and the nature of the run in that followed. With a long and fast descent still to come, committing too early in a small group carried its own risks.

When the regrouping finally happened, the cooperation behind was far from smooth. “It was a bit frustrating because there were teams with multiple riders, like Movistar and Astana, and they didn’t really want to work. They were attacking instead. That’s how it is.”

Any hopes of recovering ground were further complicated in the closing kilometres. Martinez was unable to contest the finish after being caught up in the aftermath of a crash involving Carlos Rodriguez.

“One of the organisation motorbikes did something stupid and caused Carlos Rodriguez to crash. I had to brake very hard, and I had to ride the last 10 kilometres with a buckled wheel.”

Despite the difficulties, Martinez remains firmly in contention heading into the final stage. He sits third overall, holding a narrow seven second advantage over Nordhagen in fourth.

With a summit finish to come between Lucens and Leysin, the race for the podium is still finely balanced. “For the win, it’s complicated with Pogacar. If I can follow Lipowitz and then try to take some time, that would be good. I’ll try to defend third place overall.”

After a costly gamble on the Jaunpass, Martinez now faces a different challenge, measuring his effort more carefully as he looks to secure a place on the final podium.