French climber Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) has signed a three-year contract with Bahrain Victorious as part of his plan to make the Tour de France in a few years.

Martinez, 21, is seen as one of the most promising young climbers in the World Tour peloton. He has already won six races and became the youngest ever leader at last year's Vuelta a España after a strong first week.

Rumors of a move from Groupama-FDJ to Bahrain Victorious have been circulating for several months. I am very happy to be joining Team Bahrain Victorious for the next three seasons. The solid project surrounding the team and myself convinced me. We both have great ambitions and I am sure we can achieve great things," Martinez said.

"I want to thank the Grupama FDJ team for being with me during my first few years as a professional.

Milan Elsen (Bahrain Victorious team manager) said: "When we started this project in 2017, we dreamed of achieving a podium finish in the Tour de France with the French riders of the team. We believe that Lenny will give us that chance. His talent, dedication, and spirit are perfectly aligned with our team's vision." This year, Martinez finished eighth in the Strade Bianche, won the mountain race Mercan Tour Classic, finished second in the O Gran Camino behind Jonas Vingegaard, and in France, won the Tour du Dubs and the Classic Gran Besançon Dubs twice in three days. He showed his great racing versatility with two one-day victories in the Tour du Doubs and the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs.

Martinez joined the Groupama-FDJ team at the last minute after a lackluster Tour de France this past July. He finished 11th in the final TT in Nice, suggesting that he was getting better as the race progressed.

He is set to compete in both the San Sebastian Classica and the Vuelta this summer. However, Groupama-FDJ has not yet confirmed its participation in both competitions.