Bahrain Victorious were in the mix with Lenny Martinez on one of the most iconic race finishes in Italy — and arguably beyond — atop San Luca in Bologna, as the French rider climbed onto the podium of the Giro dell’Emilia. Martinez finished 3rd behind winner Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) and Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5) in second place.

Returning to competition after a long break (his last race was San Sebastian at the start of August), Lenny was one of our leaders for this 108th edition of one of the Autumn Italian classics. Setting out this year from Mirandola (province of Modena) and finishing, as tradition dictates, at the Sanctuary of Madonna di San Luca, with an average gradient of 10.5%, but with sections up to 18%. The 199 km race featured five exhausting ascents of the iconic and brutal 2 km ramp.

With the day’s breakaway caught by the peloton approaching the start of the final circuit, the race unfolded as expected with relentless attacks on San Luca. On the penultimate ascent, after an earlier move, Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike) attacked, prompting an immediate reaction from Martinez, who jumped onto his wheel. The two gained a small gap before being reeled back on the final lap.

The race was ultimately decided by Pidcock’s acceleration at the foot of the final climb to San Luca. Del Toro — among the pre-race favourites but relatively quiet until then — managed to close the gap to the Briton 700 metres from the finish, just after the Orfanelle bend. Behind them, an ever-combative Lenny Martinez tried to bridge across, after having responded tirelessly to repeated attacks over the five ascents to the Sanctuary.
In the end, victory was a duel between Pidcock and Del Toro, with the latter powering to the win. Bahrain Victorious’ Martinez took third place, five seconds behind, finishing ahead of Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) in 4th and Primož Roglič (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) in 5th.

Sports Director Roman Kreuziger expressed his satisfaction with the team’s result in the opening race of the Italian campaign:

“I’m very happy because the goal, in our performance plan, was a top 8. After reviewing the start list, we told the guys we’d be happy with a top 5, and we actually made the podium, so we can’t complain. Maybe second place was possible, but we’re satisfied — the guys worked really well.
Considering that Lenny came from a long block without racing, he maybe could have been more tactical, avoiding chasing every attack, but the podium is well deserved in such a strong field. It’s a big confidence boost for the next races here in Italy.

Our guys committed fully and did really well between kilometres 105 and 143, with Nicolò Buratti and Robert Stannard doing an excellent job, and later Pello Bilbao positioning the leaders perfectly before the first ascent of San Luca.
After the first passage we had three riders — Afonso, Lenny, and Antonio — but later the climb didn’t suit Antonio perfectly. Still, he finished the race, which is an important sign ahead of the next races. Afonso stayed with the front group a bit longer but then paid for the travel from Worlds and the logistical issues we faced with his bikes and luggage, so mentally he wasn’t as fresh as usual.”

After today’s performance, Lenny Martinez looks ahead confidently to the next Italian races:

“I was returning to racing, so I’m really happy to come back with a good result. The team did an excellent job all day long. It’s nice to race with my teammates again, and I’m glad to give the team a podium today. I’d say we’ve made a good start to the Italian campaign.”