CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious riders Lenny Martinez and Santiago Buitrago narrowly missed out on the podium in the La Fleche Wallonne elite men’s road race, held in Belgium.
The Union Cycliste Internationale World Tour event delivered the expected drama for its 89th edition, as heavy rain turned the iconic Ardennes Classic into a true test of strength, resilience, and teamwork.
After the day’s early break went clear and opened up what seemed to be a significant gap to the peloton, Bahrain Victorious’ Robert Stannard managed to bridge across to the leaders in the pouring rain. In the end though, that group of seven were caught within the last 10 kilometres, and the race came down to the final ascent of the legendary Mur de Huy, a 1.3km test with an average gradient of 9.8 per cent, peaking at a brutal 26pc.
The favourites waited patiently for their moment, all eyes on the steep finale. Among them, Bahrain Victorious were right in the mix, thanks to a superb team effort throughout the day.
Martinez and Buitrago were part of the elite group of 20 riders who reached the base of the climb together. When the decisive moment arrived, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG attacked early, soloing to take a second Fleche win.
Behind, it was a ferocious fight for the podium. Martinez, who won on a similar uphill finish at Paris-Nice earlier this season, showed once again why he’s a specialist on the steepest slopes. He dug deep, ultimately finishing fourth, just behind runner-up Kevin Vauquelin of Arkea-B&B Hotels and Tom Pidcock of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
Ben Healy of EF Education-EasyPost split the Bahrain duo finishing fifth, with Buitrago taking a strong sixth place, 16 seconds behind the winner.
Out of breath at the finish, Martinez said: “It was a hard race with the rain for half of the day, and the last climb is always brutal. We were close to the podium – it’s okay. The guys did a great job controlling things and setting us up. It’s a good result with both Santi and me in the top six.”
Buitrago echoed the sentiment, satisfied with his ride and the team’s performance: “After a day like this, this is a super result. I’m really happy for Lenny, fourth on the Mur is something to be proud of. And for me, it’s a good sign of form heading into Liege-Bastogne-Liege. We’re building something strong here.”
Bahrain Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger added: “Our goal was a podium, and while we just missed it, finishing fourth and sixth with Lenny and Santi is a very solid performance. In tough conditions like today, the team really pulled together.
“There are still a few tactical aspects we can improve, especially in how we ride collectively, but overall, I’m proud.”
On Sunday, Bahrain will be back for the final ‘monument’ of the Spring: Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
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