Lenny Martinez, a 21-year-old climber from Bahrain Victorious, achieved his first World Tour win at Paris-Nice, sparking renewed hope among French cycling fans for a successor to legends like Bernard Hinault. After a promising start with Groupama-FDJ, Martinez's recent victory on a steep finish exemplifies his potential as a contender for overall victory in upcoming stages. Cycling great Bernard Thévenet acknowledged Martinez's maturity and ambition, emphasizing the importance of demanding results from young talents without overwhelming them. French fans are excited about the prospects that Martinez and his contemporaries represent for the sport's future in France.
It's very important because he's a young French rider. He's really one of the big French hopes, and on Thursday, he showed both great maturity and ambition.
We can't ask too much of him, but at the same time, we need to ask for results - yes, he has to win races.
A few years ago we made the mistake of leaving our expectations to one side, to let them progress gently instead of putting them under duress.
Lenny, though, like Romain Grégoire, like Paul Seixas, like others are already there, they are showing they are up to it.
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