Bahrain Victorious

Bahrain Victorious is the cycling team of Mikel Landa and Wout Poels, previously known in 2020 as Bahrain McLaren. The coronavirus pandemic led to McLaren's withdrawal after just one year, leaving the team entirely in the hands of Bahrain. IDLProCycling.com keeps you informed on all the latest news about Bahrain Victorious.

Covid virus disrupts Bahrain's grand plans

Bahrain-Merida made its debut in the cycling peloton in 2016. Since its inception, the main sponsorship of the team has been handled by the government of Bahrain. In 2020, the Formula 1 team McLaren became a co-sponsor. The team has not won any grand tours, but it did achieve victories in two Monuments with Vincenzo Nibali: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Lombardy.

However, the team had greater ambitions than these achievements. The partnership with McLaren was meant to propel them to the top of the cycling world. But the pandemic in 2020 severely disrupted these plans. McLaren, affected by the pandemic, was forced to withdraw after one year. Bahrain decided to increase their funding, which led to another name change to Bahrain Victorious.

In 2021, the team experienced its best year yet. Bahrain Victorious celebrated thirty victories, thanks in part to standout performances from Matej Mohoric and Sonny Colbrelli. The team also made an impact in the grand tours. Damiano Caruso surprisingly finished second in the Giro d'Italia, while Jack Haig took third place in the Vuelta a España.

In 2022, Bahrain Victorious continued the successful trajectory established the previous year. Mohoric triumphed in Milan-San Remo, while Pello Bilbao and Poels achieved great success in week-long stage races. Mikel Landa achieved an impressive third place in the Giro d'Italia, marking his second podium in a grand tour. During the summer and autumn, Bahrain was slightly less dominant but still a strong presence. A blemish on the years 2021 and 2022 were the police raids during the Tour de France, where various items were seized. The team consistently denied any wrongdoing and was eventually exonerated.

The death of Mäder marks a dark day in history

2023 was a season of many facets for the Bahrain team. Highlights included Matej Mohoric's victory at the Gravel World Championships and stage wins in the Tour and Vuelta by Mohoric, Pello Bilbao, and Wout Poels. However, the team also experienced tragedy with the death of cyclist Gino Mäder. During the Tour de Suisse, Mäder suffered a severe crash on a descent, which ultimately led to his passing. The team raced the rest of the year with #ForGino on their jerseys and dedicated every victory to the beloved Swiss rider.

2024 selection for Bahrain Victorious

1. Yukiya Arashiro
2. Nikias Arndt
3. Phil Bauhaus
4. Pello Bilbao
5. Alberto Bruttomesso
6. Santiago Buitrago
7. Nicolò Buratti
8. Damiano Caruso
9. Matevz Govekar
10. Kamil Gradek
11. Jack Haig
12. Rainer Kepplinger
13. Ahmed Madan
14. Fran Miholjevic
15. Matej Mohoric
16. Andrea Pasqualon
17. Finlay Pickering
18. Wout Poels
19. Johan Price-Pejtersen
20. Dusan Rajovic
21. Cameron Scott
22. Jasha Sütterlin
23. Antonio Tiberi 
24. Torstein Træen
25. Sergio Tu
26. Fred Wright
27. Edoardo Zambanini