the French Kenny Martinez youngest leader in the history of the Tour of Spain – Liberation

2023-08-31 18:27:37

By finishing second in the 6th stage of the Vuelta this Thursday, August 31, the Groupama-FDJ rider took the red jersey. Spain had never known such a young leader.

Twenty years old, all his teeth, and already a nice red jersey in his wardrobe. At the end of the sixth stage of the tour of Spain, one of the three great tours of the cycling calendar with those of France and Italy, on the slopes of Pico del Butre, Frenchman Lenny Martinez offered himself for eight small seconds the lead in the general classification and the red jersey that goes with it.

Here is the new red jersey: Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) climbs onto the podium to put on the leader’s tunic! At 20 years and 50 days, the Frenchman becomes the youngest post-war rider to lead a Grand Tour. #LaVuelta23 pic.twitter.com/MBCafUBGtd

— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) August 31, 2023

“The kid”, according to the Eurosport commentators, finished second in the day’s stage behind the American Sepp Kuss but far ahead of the main favorites. Jonas Vingegaard, double winner of the Tour de France is almost three minutes away, as is Remco Evenepoel, outgoing winner of the Vuelta, or Primoz Roglic, who won the Giro at the start of the year.

Family of champions

The feat is significant: the Groupama-FDJ rider, who celebrated his 20th birthday in July, is only competing in his first Grand Tour. He is the youngest rider on this Vuelta. Tomorrow he will be the youngest rider in the history of the Tour of Spain, since 1935, to wear the red jersey. Better: only one rider, in the history of the Grand Tours, has managed to take the lead in a general classification younger than him. It was Frenchman Henri Cornet, on the Tour de France, in… 1904!

Pocket runner (1m68 for about fifty kilos), Lenny Martinez is already an outstanding climber. Son of Miguel Martinez, Olympic mountain bike champion in 2000 in Sidney), grandson of Mariano Martinez (who has participated in the Tour de France around ten times), the young man is known as one of the best riders of his generation. This Thursday, he proved that he was already part of the crème de la crème of the peloton.