Groupama–FDJ will lose the nugget Lenny Martinez, however hopes to maintain Romain Grégoire – Digital Samachaar

It had been an open secret for weeks and was revealed by the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. However the Groupama-FDJ crew will lose its younger nugget Lenny Martinez, 20 years outdated, on the finish of the season. Final yr on the Tour of Spain, the son of Miguel Martinez, Olympic mountain bike champion in 2000, turned the second youngest bicycle owner to put on a frontrunner’s jersey on one of many three grand excursions since… 1904.

This season, Lenny Martinez has already left to substantiate since he has already received the Basic Var in France then the Trofeo Laigueglia in Italy. And he would be the chief of his crew throughout the subsequent Tour of Spain however his ambitions for an excellent remaining basic classification will maybe be hampered by the intrinsic high quality of Groupama-FDJ in comparison with its opponents. However its monumental potential and its room for enchancment appeal to envy.

For the reason that begin of the season, Martinez, who might be on the finish of his contract subsequent December and receives lower than 300,000 euros per yr in his crew, has obtained a number of affords from groups with larger budgets than his personal. In keeping with RMC Sports activities, he has already signed for the wealthy Bahrain – Victorious crew. These across the younger champion deny having initialed any doc. Which doesn’t imply that settlement in precept has been given.

Pithie may also go

In any case, in actuality, nothing will be made official earlier than the switch market opens on August 1. An unlimited joke which continues on this sport since nearly all the negotiations are accomplished earlier than this date. Some recommend a staggering wage provided to Martinez of two.5 million euros per yr. “It is going to be much more than this determine,” we estimate internally. A couple of weeks in the past, Groupama-FDJ made an extension supply to Lenny Martinez by way of his agent, Dries Smet, who additionally manages the pursuits of Julian Alaphilippe. The determine exceeded 1,000,000 euros however the crew led by Marc Madiot knew that it might not be accepted.

This won’t be the one main departure because the very promising New Zealander, Laurence Pithie, freshly seventh in Paris-Roubaix and in addition linked till December 2024, may also depart. The Germans from Bora-Hansgrohe will enlist him for a considerably larger wage. “What can we do within the face of the ability of riders’ brokers, will we defend ourselves at Groupama-FDJ? Who says agent says cash and sooner or later, actuality catches up with everybody? »

For the French crew, there now solely stays one answer to keep away from leaving the switch sequence utterly torn aside. Don’t let the crew’s different nice hope, Romain Grégoire, slip away. Formally linked till 2024, he nonetheless has a clause in his contract which permits his crew, within the occasion of an exterior supply, to mechanically maintain him for yet one more season in the event that they align with the proposal. And that’s what she ought to do.

However Groupama-FDJ’s want is to see additional than 2025 and to cement Romain Grégoire’s future throughout the French crew. Presently, the 2 events are discussing an extension not less than till 2026. With the important thing, a big wage enhance which might make the younger Franche-Comté among the finest paid behind David Gaudu. In keeping with our data, there’s optimism amongst leaders who hope to acquire an settlement inside a couple of weeks.