Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app. Saturday may have brought an end to Lenny Martinez's brief stint in the red jersey of the Vuelta a España but his Groupama FDJ teammate Michael Storer said the Frenchman should be proud of what he has done. On Thursday the 20-year-old rode into the race lead of La Vuelta, becoming the youngest rider ever to head the Vuelta leaderboard, and the second-youngest in history to lead a grand tour. Only Henri Cornet in the 1904 Tour de France was younger, doing so weeks before his 20th birthday. "It was a hard stage and Jumbo wanted to go for it," Storer said at the finish of stage 8. "I think Lenny lost the red jersey, but he can be proud of his efforts for sure. He has been riding above expectations, way, way above, so no regrets." Storer is just 26 years old, yet is the second-eldest of the Groupama-FDJ lineup in the race. The French team sees the retirement this year of fan favourite Thibaut Pinot and has been focussing on identifying and recruiting talented young riders as it evolves for the future. Six out of the eight riders in the Vuelta squad are eligible for the best young rider award, something Storer underlines as notable. "I think it is the youngest team in the race. We have five guys doing their first Vuelta," he said. "When I did my first ever Vuelta I was just trying to make it to Madrid. So it is extremely impressive what the guys have been doing." Martinez will start Sunday's ninth stage in third place overall, one minute behind new leader Sepp Kuss.
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