Suffering on the queen stage
For the first time in the Vuelta, Lenny Martinez of Groupama-FDJ faced a challenging stage as he struggled to keep up with the competition. Stage 13, known as the queen stage of the race, took the riders through the treacherous French Pyrenees, with three major climbs including the daunting Col du Tourmalet. Martinez finished in eighteenth place, more than eight minutes behind the stage winner Jonas Vingegaard, causing him to lose his spot in the top 10 overall. He now sits in fourteenth position, more than ten minutes behind the red jersey Sepp Kuss.
The grueling stage, with over 4200 meters of elevation gain packed into just 134 kilometers, proved to be a test of strength and endurance for the riders. Despite the stage taking place mostly in France, the start was in Spain at the Puerto de Portalet. Martinez found himself at the back of the peloton throughout the race and explained, “I made the mistake of being a little behind… I went up little by little.” However, he managed to stay in contact with the peloton and even followed when Jumbo-Visma accelerated, leaving top contenders Joao Almeida and Remco Evenepoel behind.
Martinez’s teammate, Michael Storer, showed great strength throughout the stage and was recognized with the combativity prize after being the first to conquer the Aubisque and Spandelles climbs. Storer’s performance impressed Benoît Vaugrenard, who remarked, “Rudy was impressive, and Michael was strong as well.” Storer continued to attack during the stage and secured maximum points in the mountain classification. Despite Martinez’s struggles, he managed to limit his losses and fight until the end. He crossed the summit of the Col de Spandelles just twenty seconds behind the leaders.
However, Martinez’s efforts were not enough to keep up with the leading group as they started the Col du Tourmalet. Benoît commented on Martinez’s exhaustion, saying, “Physically, Lenny was empty, he had nothing left… He finished as best he could with Michael.” Storer, recognizing his teammate’s fatigue, helped Martinez as much as he could before Martinez ultimately finished alone in eighteenth place, more than eight minutes behind the stage winner.
Martinez’s performance on the queen stage caused him to slip to fourteenth place overall, losing nine positions. Despite the disappointment, his team remains optimistic and sees it as a valuable learning experience for the young climber. The riders will now regroup and strategize for the remainder of the Vuelta. Storer, although missing out on the best climber’s jersey, was recognized with the most combative prize. The team is looking ahead to another tough mountain stage with three climbs and 4600 meters of elevation gain. The fatigue is evident among the Groupama-FDJ riders, but they are determined to continue fighting until the end of the race.
