Lenny Martinez makes a comeback in the last hilly stage of the Vuelta

Lenny Martinez of Groupama-FDJ showed resilience in stage 20 of the Vuelta a Espana as he bounced back after a tough few days. Martinez entered a large breakaway and managed his day well, but couldn’t keep up with the leading riders in the final climb. He finished eleventh in a chasing group. The peloton is now heading towards the final stage in Madrid.

The stage was the longest of the Vuelta and included a significant elevation gain. Groupama-FDJ’s riders, including Martinez, gave their all in hopes of a successful breakaway.
“We were convinced that the breakaway would go to the end today, because we knew that the general classification was more or less settled,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. Martinez managed to follow the right move and join the breakaway at the last minute.

The breakaway, including riders like Remco Evenepoel and Wilco Kelderman, gained a significant advantage over the peloton. Martinez faced strong competition but managed to hold his own. The leading group eventually dwindled down to only twenty-two riders, tackling the final two climbs. Martinez fought hard to stay with the leaders but narrowly missed out on the top five.

“It’s nice to finish on a good note, giving everything in the breakaway and emptying the tank all the way to the line,” said Martinez. The French neo-pro finished eleventh in the stage and expressed his determination to come back stronger in future races.

The stage victory went to Wout Poels, with Sepp Kuss unofficially confirmed as the overall winner. The final stage in Madrid is expected to end in a sprint.