On the eve of the final arrival in Barcelona, Lenny Martinez is seventh in the Tour of Catalonia. The Frenchman lost three places this Saturday during a 6th stage which he concluded in eighth position, 2’18” behind the invincible Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). Doubled in the general classification by Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Chris Harper (Team Jayco AlUla), the leader of the Groupama-FDJ will have a lot of difficulty getting on the final podium in a few hours – he is 59 seconds behind Bernalcurrently third – but fourth place is however very close, only 6″.
Video – Tadej Pogacar scores a hat-trick, Lenny Martinez solid
“I was not able to go out into the valley like Egan Bernal and Enric Mas were able to do”
At the microphone ofEurosportthe best youngster of the Tour of Catalonia mentioned this 6th step. “It was going hard all day, I think it’s the kind of stage in a career that you don’t forget. When Pogacar attacked, I couldn’t go and I tried to survive with the others. Then, I was not able to go out into the valley like Egan Bernal and Enric Mas were able to do, and then I had to be careful because there was still the last bump.”explain Lenny Martinezwho then declared himself “ready” for Sunday’s stage. “I did it last year. The circuit bump is short, so we’ll see how it goes”concludes the one who seems very well on his way to securing his first top 10 in the general classification of a WorldTour stage race.
Lenny Martinez gave everything on this 6th stage which had more than 4000 meters of positive altitude difference. He keeps his white jersey and is now 7th in the general classification before the final stage tomorrow.
7ð ‘¡â„Ž ð ‘ ð ‘™ð ‘Žð ‘ ï¿½’ ð ‘–ð ‘› 𠑔�’𠑛�’ð ‘Ÿð ‘Žð ‘™ ð ‘ ð ‘ ™ð ‘Žð ‘ ð ‘ ð ‘–ð ‘“ð ‘–ð ‘ ð ‘Žð ‘¡ð ‘–ð ‘œð ‘› 𠑓𠑜𠑟… pic.twitter.com/bp4dseCsqt
— Groupama-FDJ Cycling Team (@GroupamaFDJ) March 23, 2024
A look back at the 6th stage of the Tour of Catalonia
We were waiting for act 3 of the show Tadej Pogacar on the Tour of Catalonia 2024…and we got it! The Slovenian won the 6th stage this Saturday, which was the queen stage of this 103rd edition. It was 30 kilometers from the finish, on the penultimate listed climb of the day, that the leader of the general classification hit the gas, and as was the case at the start of the week during the Vallter and from Port Ainé, no one was able to keep up the infernal pace imposed by the runnerUAE Team Emirateswho then flew away and was no longer worried. Tadej Pogacar is the first rider to win three stages in the same edition of the Tour of Catalonia Since Alejandro Valverde in 2017.
The very likely future winner of this 2024 edition beat a duo composed ofEgan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step). While the second city has consolidated its place as dolphin of Pogacar, the Colombian made the excellent operation of the day since he provisionally climbed onto the podium in the general classification, even though he was only ninth at the start of this 6th stage. It is Aleksandr Vlasov who is paying the price for the big rise in Bernalthe Russian of BORA-hansgrohetenth this Saturday, 2’38” behind the winner of the day, finding himself fourth on the eve of the final finish in Barcelona, 53 seconds from the podium.
Tour of Catalonia – Tadej Pogacar the 6th stage, Egan Bernal the good operation #VoltaCatalunya103 #Pogacar #Landa #Bernal #UCIWT https://t.co/9iNwvi3x66 #cycling #cycling
— Cyclism’Actu (@cyclismactu) March 23, 2024