Lenny Martinez (cyclist)
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 Martinez winning the 2023 Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 11 July 2003 Cannes, France[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 52 kg (115 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||
| Current team | Team Bahrain Victorious[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Amateur team | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | CC Varennes-Vauzelles Junior[4] | ||||||||||||||
| Professional teams | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Équipe Continentale Groupama–FDJ[5] | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Groupama–FDJ[6] | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Team Bahrain Victorious | ||||||||||||||
| Major wins | |||||||||||||||
| One-day races and Classics | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Lenny Martinez (born 11 July 2003) is a French professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Bahrain Victorious.[7] He is the son, grandson and nephew of former racing cyclists Miguel, Mariano and Yannick Martinez respectively.[3]
On 16 July 2022 during stage 4 of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta Martinez along with teammate Reuben Thompson were the last men standing from the group of favorites. Martinez, who had just extended his lead gave the win to Thompson.[8] On 1 June 2022, Martinez got to ride for Groupama–FDJ as a development rider with the team at the 2022 Mercan'Tour Classic where he finished in eighth position, beating UCI WorldTour professional cyclists all while helping leader David Gaudu finish in fourth.[9]
Groupama–FDJ signed Martinez into their UCI WorldTeam for 2023.[10][11] in June, 2023 Martinez took his first professional win at the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. On 31 August 2023, during the 6th stage of the 2023 Vuelta a España, he was part of a large breakaway that went all the way to the finish in the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre. He came second in the stage behind Sepp Kuss (Team Jumbo–Visma), but enough to take the red jersey by 8 seconds ahead of Kuss. He became the youngest leader ever in the history of the Vuelta.[12][13] He also became the second youngest cyclist to wear a leader's jersey in a Grand Tour since 1904, at 20 years and 51 days, behind Henri Cornet's 19 years and 344 days in the 1904 Tour de France.[14]
Martinez opened the 2024 season with a win at the Classic Var.[15] He then competed at the O Gran Camiño, where he finished second overall to Jonas Vingegaard. At the end of February, he won the Trofeo Laigueglia with a 9 kilometer solo.[16] At the 2024 Volta a Catalunya he won the young rider classification and finished seventh overall.
Martinez moved to Team Bahrain for the 2025 season. He rode in the Tour de France, where he wore the polka dot jersey for a few days, but was docked points for cheating for repeatedly getting help from the team car to help push him up a difficult climb.[17]
