Lenny Martinez finished second overall at the Volta a Catalunya, closing out a solid and consistent week for Bahrain Victorious at the seven-day WorldTour race.
The race, covering over 1,000 kilometres and featuring several summit finishes, was decided in the high mountains. On Stage 5 to La Molina, which was shortened due to weather conditions, Jonas Vingegaard (VISMA) made the difference on the final climb, while Martinez limited his losses to remain in contention for the general classification.
He moved into second place overall the following day on Stage 6 to Queralt, finishing second on the stage after a strong ride on the final climb, as the group behind the race leader split under pressure. A puncture in the final kilometres cost him the chance to fight for the stage win, but did not affect his position in the standings.
On the final stage in Barcelona, raced on the Montjuic circuit, Martinez stayed out of trouble and held his position to secure second overall.
Alongside the podium, he also won the young rider classification, reflecting his consistency across the week.
Lenny Martinez said:
“It was a bit of a strange week for me. I didn’t feel great at the start, I was a bit sick and struggled to recover, so the first stage was quite difficult. But day by day I started to feel better, and that was a positive.
I think the key moment for me was the first mountain stage. From there, I could see that my level was improving, and the team really supported me a lot to stay in the race and avoid mistakes.
In the mountains I felt good again, and I could show my level, so I’m happy with that and with how the race went overall.
My shape is good. I think it can still improve, but we are going in the right direction, and I’m confident for the next races.”
Sports Director Xavier Florencio added:
“We came to Volta a Catalunya with clear goals: a top five overall and to fight for a stage win with Lenny and Santi. The team worked very well from the first day, protecting our leaders and staying focused on those objectives.
We knew the first stages were not the most favourable for us, but the team did a good job keeping them in position. In the mountains, Lenny showed he was in very good shape, and he proved it with second place overall, as well as a second and a third on stages.
We have a small regret from the stage to Queralt, where Lenny had a puncture near the finish. Without that, he could have fought for the stage win.
Still, we are very happy. We achieved more than expected with second place overall behind Vingegaard, and Lenny showed he was one of the strongest riders in the race.”
