"They are champions at the front." - Lenny Martínez accepts red jersey loss at Vuelta a Espana

Lenny Martinez had a couple of days in the red jersey and with that he already managed to make history as the youngest ever race leader of the Vuelta a Espana. Yesterday's he's had to give the jersey up to Sepp Kuss, however he defended himself in Xorret de Catí.

“White jersey and third in the general classification, that's not bad. I would have liked to keep the red jersey as long as possible, but you also have to make a decision," the 20-year old said at the end of the day. "At the front are very big riders who have been riding very fast for days and rode very fast up the last climb." Groupama - FDJ and Jumbo-Visma controlled the large breakaway throughout the day and managed to bring it back to the GC riders.

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"It's a pity, we lost the chance to win a second stage" - Remco Evenepoel not aware that GC group was sprinting for stage win

Then on the final climb the pace increased. The steep gradient let no other option, but it was Remco Evenepoel who pushed the pace up the ascent, and then saw Primoz Roglic take the stage win. Martínez was 13th on the day, 1:10 minutes back. "I didn't finish that far. Only 1 minute away. The goal is not to lose too much time, but if I lose time, that's normal. They are champions at the front.”

He arrived with Cian Uijtdebroeks, proving that despite losing his jersey he still put on a strong ride. He's descended to third in the overall classification, for now maintaining the white jersey, but now 1 minute exactly behind the American. “The next step is to always race for the general classification and defend the white jersey by being sharp every day," he concluded.

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