Watch La Vuelta a Espana 2023 live on SBS VICELAND, or head to the, which contains replays, highlights and more for you to catch up on all the action.
Australian climber Michael Storer (Groupama-FDJ) helped significantly in Lenny Martinez’s big move into the red jersey at La Vuelta a Espana during stage 6 of the Spanish Grand Tour, setting the pace on the final climb for his team leader.
It was a changed role for Storer, who was initially in the breakaway to contest the stage win, before shifting to a team-focused role with Martinez jumping across to the ever-swelling front group at the top of the Puerto de Arenillas with 140 kilometres still to race.
“We wanted to have Michael in front to fight for the stage, but when the group went clear, we heard Lenny’s name,” said Benoît Vaugrenard, sport director of Groupama-FDJ. “From there, it was on, and it was pretty well done by him.”
Martinez spoke after the stage about taking the opportunity presented to him.
“I didn’t want to join the breakaway at the start, but as the race went on, I saw that it was difficult to enter it”, said Martinez. “I told myself: it will be a hard fight, and when it will finally go, it will be difficult for the peloton to control. I saw a big group ahead, and I jumped across. I followed my instinct and I think I was right.”
The 42-strong rider group had Martinez as the best-placed on the general classification, third overall at the start of the stage, just 17 seconds behind overall race leader Remco Evenepoel, whose Soudal-QuickStep team was happy enough to let the large group ride away to contest the stage victory and take the red jersey as the overall leader off the Belgian’s shoulders, at least for now.
Nonetheless, with teams pacing behind like Movistar and attacking from the escapees upping the tempo, some work fell upon Storer and fellow Groupama-FDJ teammate Rudy Molard to keep the group in check and see the breakaway reach the final climb of Pico del Buitre almost four minutes ahead of the peloton.
Michael Storer took control from the base of the climb, and set the pace for more than half of the ascent, limiting the losses to the peloton to just 40 seconds in that period.
“He did an excellent job,” said Vaugrenard.
The Australian indeed paced the group for more than half of the climb, reduced the breakaway to about fifteen men, and then the attacks started four kilometres from the top.
“We knew that Sepp Kuss was the most dangerous man,” said Vaugrenard. “Once he went, we said to Lenny: ‘now you just do a time trial to the line, don’t think too much and we’ll do the maths at the finish”.
After a tremendous effort, he crossed the line in second place, only twenty-six seconds behind Kuss, thus moving into the Vuelta’s red jersey.
“We thought that the jersey was going to slip through our fingers because the gap increased up to thirty-five seconds, not counting the bonus seconds”, said Vaugrenard. “We told ourselves that we would still be in a good position overall, and then we were surprised when we saw that Lenny was so close on the line”.
At 20, for his first Grand Tour, in his first pro year, Lenny Martinez became the youngest leader of the race, and the second youngest all Grand Tours combined.
“It’s incredible, it’s a dream for any rider”, Martinez said after putting on the famous red jersey. “Michael and Rudy sacrificed their chance of winning for me today. I hope I paid them back. I have this jersey thanks to the whole team.
“I still don’t realize what is happening to me. It’s something so big. It was my dream when I came to the Vuelta. You think about it, but you also think that it is very hard to get. Yet, today it is done”.
La Vuelta a Espana continues tonight with a flat Stage 7 that puts the focus back on the sprinters. Watch from 10.55pm AEST on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
