Lenny Martinez secures the KOM jersey

Nine stages into this year's Tour de France, Team Bahrain Victorious only had one 3rd place and a 7th place in sprint stages courtesy of Phil Bauhaus to show. But then, young Frenchman Lenny Martinez went on the attack on Bastille Day and got the iconic Polka Dot jersey as a reward.

After a difficult start with time lost in both crosswinds and the individual time trial, and Jack Haig being forced to abandon the Tour de France due to a concussion, Team Bahrain Victorious finally tasted some success in stage 10. Ridden on Bastille Day, this stage counted no less than eight classified climbs in the scenic Puy de Dome region. The attacks came right from the start, and Team Bahrain Victorious was in the thick of the action, with Matej Mohoric guiding young French climber Lenny Martinez. The latter made it into the group of the day that grew to almost 30 riders halfway into the stage - and Martinez focused on the KOM points at hand, winning the five initial sprints to amass 25 points and thus building an unassailable lead in the best climber’s standing before the first rest day.

When the attacks started from the breakaway, Lenny Martinez could not keep up with the strongest riders anymore and continued at his own pace instead, frantically cheered on by the French fans that crowded the roadsides on the French national holiday. Even a nose bleed could only slow him down, but when the group of GC favourites caught up with him at the end of the penultimate climb, Lenny Martinez found some extra energy to keep up with them - and to finish the stage in 8th place with the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on his wheel. The best was still to come, however, as Lenny Martinez was called up to the podium to receive the Tour de France’s iconic polka dot jersey - 47 years after his grandfather Mariano Martinez had pulled off the same feat.

Returning from the podium ceremony, Lenny Martinez was still buzzing: „The ‘maillot à pois’ is incredible. It’s something I have dreamed of since I was young. I tried to go for the stage win as well on Bastille Day, but the guys ahead were just too strong.” As for the first rest day, there will be no lack of interest from the media, seen how obsessed the French are with the iconic best climber’s jersey at the Tour de France and French riders who get to wear it. At the same time, this success was highly welcome for Team Bahrain Victorious, as its GC captain, Santiago Buitrago, had lost a significant amount of time due to a nasty crash that forced Jack Haig to abandon the race. And it was great to see Lenny Martinez recovering from a miserable opening stage when he got dropped from the peloton repeatedly and finished as the last rider, all on his own. 

For the 112th edition of the Tour de France, Team Bahrain Victorious relied on a mix of experience and talent in support of its GC captain, Santiago Buitrago. As for the mountains, the Colombian climber could rely on the support of Jack Haig and Lenny Martinez, with Matej Mohoric in a general support role and the likes of Kamil Gradek, Robert Stannard and Fred Wright as the lead-out for sprinter Phil Bauhaus. After 10 stages, some time losses due to echelons and in the time trial and a very unlucky high-speed crash, the team has been forced to shift its focus away from a top 10 result on GC and towards success in stages. The best result in this regard was scored by Phil Bauhaus, who sprinted to a 3rd place in Dunkerque at the end of stage 3 and to another 7th place.
 

RESULTS:
112TH TOUR DE FRANCE, STAGE 3: VALENCIENNES - DUNKERQUE, 178.3KM
1. Tim Merlier, BEL, in 4:16.55 hours
2. Jonathan Milan, ITA, st
3. Phil Bauhaus, GER/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st

KOM CLASSIFICATION AFTER 10 STAGES:
1. Lenny Martinez, FRA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, 27 points
2. Ben Healy, IRL, 16 points
3. Michael Woods, CAN, 11 points