Martinez was Pogačar's shadow on stage 1: 'First time I've been able to follow him'

Tadej Pogačar attacked in stage one of the Tour de Romandie — and we saw a rare sight: someone who could stay on the world champion's wheel. From the very first acceleration, Lenny Martinez was glued to his back, and he never let go. The young Frenchman climbed perhaps more impressively than anyone, finishing third.

Martinez is having a phenomenal season — second place and a stage win at Paris-Nice, and second overall at the Volta a Catalunya. His Romandie showing adds another entry to that list.

That Pogačar could not drop him came as a surprise even to Martinez himself. "It's the first time I've been able to follow him," he told CyclingPro.net. "It's strange to be on his wheel. Even as a professional, I used to watch him on TV and think how crazy it must be to sit there. And then I was there."

Martinez had skipped Liège-Bastogne-Liège to arrive in better condition for the Swiss race. "I knew I had recovered well from La Flèche Wallonne — I finished eighth — but I thought the first stages would be difficult. I surprised myself a little by being able to follow him today." In the sprint, the world champion proved comfortably too strong.

But that bothers Martinez little. "I was completely empty in the sprint, I had nothing left. But it was a very beautiful first stage." In the final flat kilometres, the 22-year-old climber felt the gap between himself and the great Pogačar. He tried to play a small tactical game, but admitted: "I was at my limit in the finale. But he stayed calm. He didn't get irritated. He was chill."

On his team's website, the young rider classification leader went further. "My feeling wasn't super, but it was okay" — remarkable words from someone who spent the day on Pogačar's wheel. "I was empty, but that's often the case in the first stage. It's a good start. It also helped a lot to have Antonio [Tiberi] behind me."

For a time on the climb, Martinez rode alongside Pogačar alone, before Florian Lipowitz joined them. After the descent, Jørgen Nordhagen bridged across too. "Of course it would have been great to stay alone with Tadej. But Nordhagen came across and thankfully helped out. All in all, it was a solid day."