Lenny Martínez' head said no, his legs said yes - Frenchman climbs into Tour de France Top10 despite not having that as a plan
CyclingMonday, 06 July 2026 at 13:00
Lenny Martínez entered the Tour de France with the clear goal of aiming for the KOM jersey and stage wins. Last year the Bahrain - Victorious was close to achieving this goal, only with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard getting in the way; but at the Grand Depart in Barcelona he joined them on the climbs to the Montjuic.
Martínez ready for the Montjuic
The Frenchman's form wasn't questioned entering the race, as his final exhibition came at the Tour de Suisse where, in the final stage, he put on a staggering climbing performance to almost hold off Tadej Pogacar from the day's breakaway - whilst not losing time to Pogacar's rivals, despite having spent the day in front.
However, without a track record in a three-week race and the collective that most of his rivals have, the GC wasn't put forward as a goal. However at the race's opening team time trial Bahrain rode to a strong ninth place on the road, with Martínez partially aiding teammate Antonio Tiberi too.
Entering stage 2, it was unclear if Martínez would go for a result or begin losing time so as to save his legs and also have more opportunities to go in breakaways in the race's future. The answer was clear. "It was a very, very hot stage, the pace was incredibly fast, and there was a lot of tension approaching the circuit," Martínez shared with Cyclism'Actu. "The first climb was the hardest; everyone was going flat out. The second was okay, and the third was almost flat out as well".
Antonio Tiberi cracked in the heat and the Bahraini team did not command Martínez to wait for his teammate - or slow down at all. Whilst the fight for victory wouldn't have been decided in the Montjuic, the likes of Tiberi, Kévin Vauquelin, Ben O'Connor, Matthew Riccitello, Matteo Jorgnenson and Derek Gee - all potential Top10 candidates - lost over five minutes on the road.
Lenny Martínez has ascended into the Tour de France's Top10 after only two days
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A scary descent and punchy finish
Martínez raced at the best of his abilities and what that brought him was a strong result. He was eighth across the finish line, finishing inbetween his compatriots Romain Grégoire and Paul Seixas - and around most podium candidates.
The climb was no big problem, rather, the descent proved to be. "Then it was a sprint with a lot of speed; we came into the corner incredibly fast, it was a bit scary," he admits. "And then we couldn't accelerate anymore, we were sprinting from the bottom to the top [of the final climb]."
"I feel good. It's a good start to the Tour, I'm happy, personally, to be here with the general classification riders, we're going to enjoy it." Martínez climbed to ninth in the overall classification, just ahead of Tom Pidcock. Whilst it is not a confirmation that his goals will switch, he has built himself a base to do so and has shown the legs to aim high in this Grand Boucle.
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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- Geezz....Calm down man...There is more to it.. We know how strong is UAE team, but they are not riding alone...and they dont have all the best riders... They have some...and for their objectives it works, but there is more to cycling than this..Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Tobias >>>>>>>> CianAlexcavalera06-07-2026
- Had similar vibes a few years ago, when J. Vingegard gave the ITT to Wout W Aert in TDF... Of course was different...Jonas had the victory almost acomplished, but it was pretty to see! Jonas and Pogi are on a different levelAlexcavalera06-07-2026
- Hey...Its early to say that.. Don't understimate the power of Visma and other tems! Tactics will come...errors will happen... The show is on till the fat lady siings!!Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Very well said! The heat will be a big variable all across this week for everybody! It will refrain lots of riders! This Tour is "On Fire" !!Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Really thougt he was retiring end season... Hope he stays in the Pelloton, but for domestique purposes, and maybe chasing a stage in a grand tour.. Cant see him has a GC guy anymore... But all respect for him!Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Ya, I think, 2 pronged attack from tadej and Isaac will cause jonas a lot of problemsZamorano06-07-2026
- These two can really mess up JV’s plans. Del Toro is capable of winning a mountain stage all by himself. If Del Toro goes on the attack, Jonas will have to decide whether to follow him or not. Pogacar can just stay on Jonas’s wheel the whole time and then catch up to Del Toro when the right opportunity comes. What a tag team advantage for UAE.
PogiFan2Day06-07-2026 - What a Boss!Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- I bet he slowdances!Lobz7706-07-2026
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