After a fifth-place finish in the team time trial and the emergence of a young French climber who, at 20 years and 50 days, became the youngest cyclist to wear the overall leader’s jersey in the history of the Vuelta a España, the CEO of Groupama FDJ could have been surprised. However, in an interview with the French website cyclismeactu, he doesn’t hide his confidence in the team.
“It’s a source of great pride and satisfaction. We launched a youth program a few years ago, and I believe we have been incredibly successful with this new wave. These young riders have learned a lot from the rest of the team, and it paid off today.”
“Surprised by Lenny Martinez? Not really, no. We knew he had excellent climbing skills, so it’s not a big surprise. He’s a cyclist who has a deep cycling culture, coming from a family that’s 100% into cycling, so he already has the mental experience of the cyclist profession through his father (Miguel) and grandfather (Mariano).”
Advice to the Vuelta leader
“I spoke to him yesterday (Friday) over the phone and told him to stay calm because it’s just the beginning. What I expect from him afterward is a complete and consistent Vuelta. I want him to perform in the second and third weeks what he did during the debut, even though there will certainly be some off days. In any case, we’re not setting any limits, whether up or down. We have a good dynamic, and we’ll continue with our good man. I haven’t forgotten the others either; all our cyclists are in the right rhythm,” explains Marc Madiot.
Resposta aos que criticaram a presença de 5 ciclistas sub-23, na equipe da Vuelta
“Ressalto que houve sorrisos quando anunciamos o nosso programa do ano, tanto com os jovens como com os mais velhos, e penso que estamos a demonstrar nesta Vuelta que “Não nos enganamos em confiar nos jovens. Pode parecer ousado e ambicioso, mas estamos convencidos de que temos os elementos para concretizar as nossos objetivos”, conclui o feliz chefe da Groupama -FDJ .