Lenny Martinez Leads Line Up for Flèche Wallonne

# Lenny Martinez Aims for Podium Finish at 90th Edition of Flèche Wallonne

Team Bahrain Victorious is gearing up for the 90th edition of Flèche Wallonne, with Lenny Martinez setting his sights on a podium finish atop the legendary Mur de Huy. Martinez, who finished fourth last year, is eager to improve upon that performance and establish himself as a key contender in this highly competitive race.

The young French cyclist enters this Ardennes Classic with confidence after securing second place overall at the recent Volta a Catalunya, where he also claimed the title of Best Young Rider. His climbing abilities are expected to be a significant asset in this race, which is known for its steep and challenging climbs.

Supporting Martinez is a robust team consisting of experienced riders: Matej Mohorič, Pello Bilbao, Vlad Van Mechelen, Fran Miholjević, Edoardo Zambanini, and Pau Miquel. This capable lineup will tackle the grueling 200 km course, which involves a daunting 2,974 meters of elevation gain through the hilly terrain of the Walloon region.

The race begins in Herstal and contains the infamous Mur de Huy, a short yet brutal ascent of 1.4 km featuring an average gradient of 9.1%. Competitors will face this unforgiving climb twice before the final push, where the race often concludes with an intense uphill sprint.

Sports Director Roman Kreuziger shared his optimistic outlook on the team’s prospects, stating, “Back at Flèche Wallonne, it’s a race where we have historically done quite well, winning with Dylan Teuns in 2022. Santiago Buitrago has also performed strongly here, and Lenny last year as well. With this team, we are well balanced and can have big ambitions.”

Kreuziger emphasized the importance of teamwork, especially with Pello Bilbao, who demonstrated great potential at the Amstel Gold Race but faced unfortunate luck with his results. “We have Lenny coming in feeling good, with strong support from Pello, who showed great shape at Amstel but had some bad luck and couldn’t get the result he deserved. He will be fully committed to the team,” he noted.

With a carefully crafted strategy and a solid mix of experience and youth, Team Bahrain Victorious is ready to tackle the challenges of Flèche Wallonne. “It’s always very difficult to win Flèche Wallonne, but we will be fighting with Lenny and aiming for a place on the podium. It could be more open than last year’s edition with Tadej Pogačar, but we still expect it to come down to the final ascent of the Mur,” Kreuziger concluded.

As the anticipation builds, all eyes will be on Martinez and Team Bahrain Victorious as they look to make their mark in this iconic cycling event.