Lenny Martinez is slowly gaining confidence in brand new environment: "Everything is done in English, but I am managing to fit in"

One of the most unexpected transfers of past winter was Lenny Martinez's move from Groupama-FDJ to Bahrain - Victorious. The future star of French cycling thus sets out on an adventure in a completely new environment in a formation where he's the only native French-speaking rider.

"The integration is going very well. Now everything is done in English, but I am managing to fit in," Martinez tells Bici.pro. It's not a secret that French cyclists prefer to stick to their native language, but the 21-year-old seems able to adapt. What also helps is that his coach is from the French-speaking part of Belgium.

"My coach is Loic Segart, Alec's brother: the one who rides for Lotto Dstny and goes like a train in time trials, you certainly know who he is. The good thing is that Loic speaks French and it was very nice to discover that I would work with him because on certain very technical aspects it is nice to be able to speak my language."

Before the season, the team spoke about the plan to turn Lenny Martinez into the best French GC rider of the decade. In an ideal scenario, this would see the little climber win (or at least podium) the Tour de France. "I think that for a French rider like me, the Tour de France is important and I think that in the next few years it will be the most important race in my calendar."

And the best plan of action is to start right away. Martinez is expected to start in Lille next to more experienced leaders, which should allow him to gain experience without added pressure.

"It's true, there is a project that involves me, but also other riders like Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi, who are both leaders for the general classifications. Then there are the other riders. The goal is to improve every year and make sure that in a few years I am competitive at the Tour de France."