Bahrain Victorious arrive in force for Strade Bianche with multiple leaders targeting a top result

After that midweek victory, Bahrain Victorious are clearly keen to extend their strong start in Italy, and they’ve brought a powerful selection to Tuscany. Mohorič will be one of the leaders: the Slovenian has already finished fifth and sixth in previous editions of the gravel Classic, and he knows how to handle the dirt roads — he also won the Gravel World Championship title back in 2023.

Alongside their Slovenian specialist, Bahrain Victorious can also lean on the experience of Bilbao. Like Mohorič, the Basque rider has already delivered a top-five finish at Strade Bianche — and he did it as recently as last season, after also taking fifth in 2022. In short: the team won’t be short on proven quality when the race heats up.

In principle, Bahrain Victorious are backing Mohorič and Bilbao, but if the race takes an unexpected turn, they also have another serious card to play. Attila Valter, a former mountain biker, has already finished fourth and fifth at Strade Bianche in the past and has frequently described the race as one of his favourites.

The team also expects 24-year-old Afonso Eulálio to be there deep into the finale, while Edoardo Zambanini, Fran Miholjević and Pau Miquel are tasked with supporting the leaders through the early and middle phases — and helping keep communication running smoothly between riders and the team car.

Sports director Enrico Gasparotto sounded upbeat on the Bahrain Victorious website. “History is always a source of important insights for the present or the near future, and history tells us that Bahrain Victorious riders have always had a fairly good relationship with this race. Matej and Pello have fought for important results here in the past,” he said.

“So we arrive motivated and ready to maintain this trend again this year. We hope to use the momentum from the last races, where we achieved some great results, to aim for something important here,” Gasparotto continued. At the same time, he acknowledged the depth of the start list — with Tadej Pogačar set to headline proceedings — but Bahrain are still confident they can make their presence felt. “Of course the level of the start list is extremely high. As in previous years, Pogačar will start his season here and will want to begin strongly right away. The list of competitors is very strong, but we feel ready to leave our mark.”