By donning the leader’s red jersey at just 20 years and 50 days old, Lenny Martinez inscribed his name in the annals of cycling.

Lenny Martinez couldn’t get over it himself. «It’s really amazing to me. I had in the back of my mind that it would be great to take the jersey and it happened today», he thus launched at the finish of the 6th stage, adding: « I still can’t understand what is happening to me. Wearing this red jersey is so big, it’s almost scary. I don’t know how it is when you’re the leader of a Grand Tour.»

Third in the general classification at the start of this fifth stage, a consequence of the solid performance of Groupama-FDJ during the team time trial and his good performance during the first mountain stage on Monday, the young French climber s seized the red jersey thanks to his second place behind Sepp Kuss. A historic achievement. And not only because the native of Mantes-la-Jolie has been playing his first big tour since Saturday.

At 20 years and 51 days, Lenny Martinez has indeed become the youngest runner in history to wear the amarillo jersey. He surpasses Miguel Indurain, who was 20 years and 283 days old when the Spaniard took the leader’s jersey. Better still, he even became the youngest rider to wear a leader’s jersey on a grand tour since the post-war period. Only one rider has done better in history: Henri Cornet, leader of the Tour de France in 1904 at only 19 years and 343 days. And yet the latter has never worn a leader’s tunic since the yellow jersey did not yet exist…

📊🔴Youngest GC leaders of 🇪🇸Vuelta:
20-051 | 🇫🇷Martinez
20-283 | 🇪🇸Indurain (1985)
21-160 | 🇬🇧Milesi (2023)
21-166 | 🇪🇸Soler (61)
21-170 | 🇩🇪Thurau (76)
21-290 | 🇫🇷Gaigne (83)
21-337 | 🇬🇧 Shepherds (88)
22-145 | 🇧🇪 The Mulder (60)
22-157 | 🇮🇹Piccolo (23)
22-212 | 🇧🇪Evenepoel (22)

— Cycling Statistics 📊 (@StatsOnCycling) August 31, 2023

Youngest leader in Grand Tours
19-343 🇫🇷Henri Cornet | Tour 1904
20-051 🇫🇷LENNY MARTINEZ | return 2023
20-059 🇮🇹Nino Defilippis | Giro 1952
20-132 🇮🇹 Dario Beni | Tour 1909
20-257 🇬🇧Fausto Coppi | Tour 1940
20-283 🇺🇸Miguel Indurain | back 1985
20-292 🇮🇹 Aldo Bini | Tour 1936

— VeloStatistics (@VeloStatistics) August 31, 2023