French climber Lenny Martinez has signed a three-year deal with Bahrain Victorious, aiming for future success at the Tour de France. The 21-year-old is recognised as one of the most promising young climbers in the WorldTour peloton. He has already claimed six victories and made history last year as the youngest-ever leader of the Vuelta a España after an impressive first week.
Rumours about Martinez’s departure from Groupama-FDJ to Bahrain Victorious had been circulating for several months. The deal was officially confirmed on Saturday by his new team for 2025.
“I am extremely happy to join Team Bahrain Victorious for the next three seasons. The solid project around the team and myself convinced me. Together, we have great ambitions, and I am convinced we will achieve great things,” Martinez said. “I would like to thank the Groupama FDJ team, who accompanied me during my first years in the professional ranks.”
Milan Erzen, Bahrain Victorious team manager, shared his thoughts on the new signing: “When we started this project in 2017, we dreamed of achieving a podium at the Tour de France with a French rider from our team. We believe Lenny gives us that chance. His talent, dedication, and spirit align perfectly with our team’s vision.”
This year, Martinez demonstrated his racing versatility with an eighth place in Strade Bianche, victory in the mountainous Mercan’Tour Classic, second behind Jonas Vingegaard in the O Gran Camiño stage race, and two one-day wins in France within three days at the Tour du Doubs and Classic Grand Besançon Doubs.
Martinez had a challenging Tour de France this July, joining the Groupama-FDJ squad as a last-minute addition. An 11th-place finish in the final time trial in Nice suggested a return to form as the race progressed. He is pencilled in to race both the Clásica San Sebastian and then return to the Vuelta later this summer. However, Groupama-FDJ has yet to definitively confirm his participation in both events.
