Life moves pretty fast. Hold on to that bidon, and you might just stay in the race for the KOM.
There was a moment on the Col du Glandon that turned heads during Stage 18 of the Tour de France—and it had little to do with watts or tactics.
Lenny Martinez, France’s polka-dot jersey wearer and one of the most promising young climbers in the race, was spotted receiving a suspiciously long series of tows from his team car. The incident, which unfolded on the early slopes of the Glandon, saw Martinez reach for food and bottles from his directeur sportif—though he didn’t seem especially interested in either. Instead, the handoff lingered. Long enough, in fact, for the young Frenchman to regain contact with the breakaway after having lost ground earlier.
How to cheat in a bike race with the stickiest bottle you’ll ever see
It didn’t go unnoticed. In pro cycling, sticky bottles are something of a tradition. Riders grab a bidon, and the car hangs on just a little longer than the rulebook allows, giving a tired racer a discreet boost. A second or two is generally tolerated. But repeat it a few times—or make it obvious—and it could result in a fine or even relegation. The previous king of sticky bottles, Juan Pedro López was disqualified from Tour Down Under earlier this year.
Makes no sense at all to deduct just 8 point when he got 20 to win the GPM on Col du Glandon. Come on @UCI_cycling https://t.co/lICroEiBok
— Michael Rasmussen (@MRasmussen1974) July 24, 2025
Martinez collected 20 mountain points on the day, but eight were docked for his sticky bottle antics. A classic case of FAFO. That leaves him with 72 points—still good enough for third in the classification. Second is Jonas Vingegaard (89) and Tadej Pogačar, go figure, has 105.
Since Pogačar wears yellow, the polka-dot jersey will go to Vingegaard on Friday.
So, totally worth it? He wouldn’t have won the KOM on Thursday had he been dropped.
But in all seriousness, he is very lucky not to have been disqualified—but hardly surprising given his country of origin, sadly. Martinez is one of the great white hopes and from a long line of cyclists in his family. Just classic pro bike racing stuff.