Lenny Martinez has been aggressive on the Tour de France, though a few eyebrows have been raised after the way he rode on Col du Glandon today (Photo: Billy Ceusters)
Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) has taken three sticky bottles in a row from his team car in the breakaway on Col du Glandon and then sprinted for the climbers’ points at the top of the mountain.
The Frenchman took the maximum 20 points, edging out Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), which puts Martinez into the outright lead in the climbers’ classification. He is now just ahead of 2nd placed Arensman and race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Whether Martinez or his team will face any sanction from the race jury for the three sticky bottles remains to be seen. Any one of the incidents judged on their own would perhaps not have been commented on, but three in a row might cause some problems for him.
Martinez is wearing the polka dot jersey today and started today’s stage 18 to Courchevel equal with Pogačar at the top of the climbers’ classification, both on 60 points. But on the road today he went into the outright lead in the competition due to the 20 points gained on Col du Glandon.
Arensman – who won stage 14 to Superbagnères – started today’s stage 3rd in the climbers’ classification – the Dutchman on 48 points. But he moved into 2nd place on Col du Glandon.
However, not long after the climb, the leaders than raced onto the Col de la Madeleine, Martinez was dropped from the breakaway and caught, and then dropped, by the remains of the peloton.
Up front, Arensman rode clear with of the breakaway with Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), meaning Arensman was looking good to go into the lead in the climbers’ classification.
Sanction en vue pour Lenny Martinez ? En difficulté dans le col du Glandon, le Français a visiblement utilisé la technique du “bidon collé” pour remonter…
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