Cycling transfers: Lenny Martinez will be the GC captain of his new team Bahrain – Victorious. The strong Frenchman, who is a climber, is expected to win a Grand Tour in the coming years – ideally the Tour de France. In our new section, we present the most exciting transfers of the season and are already stirring up anticipation for the coming year.
Lenny Martinez is young but experienced
Although he is only 21 years old, we have already seen a lot from Lenny Martinez. In his two years with Groupama – FDJ, the Frenchman won six races and competed in two major national tours. He has impressively proven that he is rightly considered one of the greatest talents in road cycling. Having grown up in the Equipe continentale Groupama – FDJ, the junior team of his current team, he is now looking for a change. He is drawn to Bahrain – Victorious. A bitter loss for the French team, which certainly had hopes of soon being able to produce a French Tour winner with him as a person.
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From stage hunter to general classification rider?
Bahrain – Victorious is very happy about this transfer coup. The team makes no secret of what they plan to do with Lenny Martinez in the future. Manager Milan Erzen expressed his confidence after the transfer was announced: "When we started this project in 2017, we dreamed of being on the podium at the Tour de France with a French rider. We believe Lenny gives us that chance." And the driver himself is also optimistic about his future: "The project involving the team and me has convinced me. Together we have great ambitions and I am convinced that we will achieve great things." It should be clear that his new employer no longer sees him as a stage hunter, but as a complete classification rider.
Lenny Martinez has weaknesses in the time trial
The fact that Lenny Martinez is one of the most talented climbers in the peloton has probably not escaped anyone's notice over the past two years. But the fact that he has not really been able to successfully climb the overall rankings in tours has also been noticed. Lenny Martinez is not even 1,70 m tall and weighs just over 50 kg. He has the perfect measurements to be a Tour de France climber, but can he really fight for the yellow jersey? His weaknesses are clearly in time trials. With his weight, he finds it difficult to fight against the clock. He struggles on the flat when there is a crosswind and he has to position himself well. At just 21 years old, he still has time to counteract these weaknesses. If he succeeds, Bahrain - Victorious may really be able to dream of a Tour podium.