{"id":7503,"date":"2026-07-01T17:41:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/?p=7503"},"modified":"2026-07-01T17:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:41:10","slug":"tour-de-france-2026-bahrain-victorious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-bahrain-victorious\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France 2026 \u2014 Bahrain Victorious: Final Rosters &amp; Complete Team Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);text-transform:uppercase\">Tour de France 2026 \u2014 Bahrain Victorious: Final Rosters &amp; Complete Team Guide<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the complete guide to Bahrain Victorious at the Tour de France 2026, covering their confirmed 8-rider start list with stage-type role breakdown, the team&#8217;s brand-new Bianchi equipment programme that replaced nine years on Merida, Antonio Tiberi&#8217;s Tour debut as GC leader, Lenny Martinez&#8217;s polka-dot jersey push, Damiano Caruso&#8217;s farewell Grand Tour, the full sponsor and management structure, and the context behind the team&#8217;s state-backed ownership model that most previews leave out entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.bahrain-tldr-wrap {\n  max-width: 960px;\n  margin: 2rem auto;\n  font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\n}\n\n.bahrain-tldr-card {\n  background: #f6fbee;\n  border-radius: 20px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.25);\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n\n.bahrain-tldr-header {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 10px;\n  padding: 1.2rem 1.5rem 0.9rem;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.15);\n}\n\n.bahrain-tldr-title {\n  font-family: 'Galibier', sans-serif !important;\n  font-size: 1.3rem !important;\n  font-weight: 700 !important;\n  text-transform: uppercase !important;\n  letter-spacing: 1.5px !important;\n  color: #111 !important;\n  margin: 0 !important;\n  line-height: 1.2 !important;\n  padding: 0 !important;\n  border: none !important;\n}\n\n.bahrain-tldr-badge {\n  font-size: 0.65rem;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  letter-spacing: 0.8px;\n  background: #EAF3DE;\n  color: #27500A;\n  padding: 4px 10px;\n  border-radius: 12px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.3);\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n.bahrain-tldr-body {\n  padding: 1.2rem 1.5rem 1.5rem;\n}\n\n.tldr-list {\n  list-style: none;\n  padding: 0;\n  margin: 0;\n  display: flex;\n  flex-direction: column;\n  gap: 1rem;\n}\n\n.tldr-item {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: flex-start;\n  gap: 12px;\n}\n\n.tldr-icon {\n  width: 24px;\n  height: 24px;\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  justify-content: center;\n  flex-shrink: 0;\n  color: #27500A;\n  margin-top: 2px;\n}\n\n.tldr-icon svg {\n  width: 20px;\n  height: 20px;\n  stroke: #27500A;\n}\n\n.tldr-text {\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.tldr-text strong {\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: #000;\n}\n\n.highlight-note {\n  margin-top: 1rem;\n  padding: 0.8rem 1rem;\n  background: #fffdee;\n  border-left: 3px solid #FFC72C;\n  border-radius: 8px;\n  font-size: 0.85rem;\n  color: #4a3b00;\n  line-height: 1.5;\n}\n\n@media (max-width: 600px) {\n  .bahrain-tldr-body {\n    padding: 1rem 1.2rem 1.2rem;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"bahrain-tldr-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"bahrain-tldr-card\">\n    \n    <div class=\"bahrain-tldr-header\">\n      <h2 class=\"bahrain-tldr-title\">TL;DR<\/h2>\n      <span class=\"bahrain-tldr-badge\">Bahrain<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"bahrain-tldr-body\">\n      <ul class=\"tldr-list\">\n        <!-- Who leads -->\n        <li class=\"tldr-item\">\n          <div class=\"tldr-icon\">\n            <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\">\n              <path d=\"M12 2l3.09 6.26L22 9.27l-5 4.87L18.18 21 12 17.77 5.82 21 7 14.14 2 9.27l6.91-1.01L12 2z\"\/>\n            <\/svg>\n          <\/div>\n          <p class=\"tldr-text\">\n            <strong>Who leads Bahrain Victorious at the 2026 Tour?<\/strong> Two GC options. Antonio Tiberi makes his Tour debut after a 5th-place Giro finish in 2024, targeting a top-10 overall. Lenny Martinez enters his third consecutive Tour hunting a stage win and the polka-dot jersey after near-misses in his first two appearances.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/li>\n\n        <!-- Who's in the squad -->\n        <li class=\"tldr-item\">\n          <div class=\"tldr-icon\">\n            <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\">\n              <path d=\"M17 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-4-4H5a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2\"\/><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"7\" r=\"4\"\/><path d=\"M23 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-3-3.87\"\/><path d=\"M16 3.13a4 4 0 0 1 0 7.75\"\/>\n            <\/svg>\n          <\/div>\n          <p class=\"tldr-text\">\n            <strong>Who&#8217;s in the full 8-rider squad?<\/strong> Phil Bauhaus, Damiano Caruso, Kamil Gradek, Matej Mohori\u010d, Robert Stannard, and Vlad Van Mechelen complete the roster. Caruso is riding his final-ever Tour, chasing a stage win at all three Grand Tours. Van Mechelen makes his Grand Tour debut.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/li>\n\n        <!-- Equipment story -->\n        <li class=\"tldr-item\">\n          <div class=\"tldr-icon\">\n            <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\">\n              <circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"6\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\"\/>\n            <\/svg>\n          <\/div>\n          <p class=\"tldr-text\">\n            <strong>What&#8217;s the biggest equipment story?<\/strong> After nine years with Merida, Bahrain Victorious switched to a multi-year partnership with Italian manufacturer Bianchi for 2026 \u2014 a complete equipment overhaul implemented just months before the team&#8217;s biggest race of the season.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/li>\n\n        <!-- Giro success -->\n        <li class=\"tldr-item\">\n          <div class=\"tldr-icon\">\n            <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\">\n              <circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"10\"\/><polyline points=\"8 14 12 10 16 14\"\/>\n            <\/svg>\n          <\/div>\n          <p class=\"tldr-text\">\n            <strong>What was their recent Giro success?<\/strong> Caruso&#8217;s standout support of Afonso Eul\u00e1lio throughout the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia, where the Brazilian rider spent nine days in the pink jersey and finished 6th overall in the white jersey \u2014 a result that directly informs how the team is framing its 2026 Tour mountain support.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n      \n      <div class=\"highlight-note\">\n        <strong>\ud83d\udd25 Tiberi&#8217;s Tour debut. Martinez hunts polka dots. Caruso&#8217;s final Tour. Bianchi&#8217;s return \u2014 Bahrain Victorious carries more storylines than any team its size.<\/strong>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Bahrain Victorious? A State-Backed Project Built for International Visibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bahrain Victorious, formerly Bahrain-Merida, then briefly Bahrain-McLaren, is a Bahraini cycling team created in late 2016 for its first competitive season in 2017, racing with a UCI WorldTeam licence since its debut. Sponsored by the government of Bahrain, the team&#8217;s results sheet carries genuine weight: the Tour of Lombardy in 2017 and Milan-San Remo in 2018 with Vincenzo Nibali, Paris-Roubaix in 2021 with Sonny Colbrelli, and the World Time Trial Championship in 2019 with Rohan Dennis. These are not minor results. They are Monument and World Championship victories that most WorldTour teams never accumulate in a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">General manager <strong>Milan Er\u017een<\/strong>, a Slovenian national, has held the position since the team&#8217;s 2016 inception. He oversees operations under the ownership of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, a sovereign wealth fund controlled by the Bahraini government, meaning the team&#8217;s financial backing flows directly from state resources rather than a commercial sponsor in the traditional sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That ownership structure is worth understanding fully, not just for the sporting context but for the complete picture. The team&#8217;s creation in 2016 was driven by <strong>Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa <\/strong>with Er\u017een&#8217;s assistance, a figure whose history has drawn separate scrutiny over allegations related to the treatment of political opponents in Bahrain. The team itself has faced its own scrutiny over the years: in 2019, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Er\u017een was under UCI investigation over suspected links to a doctor connected to a major doping scandal. In 2022, French investigators searched the homes of Er\u017een, team medical staff, and several riders, including current 2026 squad member Damiano Caruso, alongside the team&#8217;s race hotel during that year&#8217;s Tour de France, as part of a broader doping investigation. The team&#8217;s performance director at the time, <strong>Vladimir Miholjevi\u0107<\/strong>, firmly denied any wrongdoing. Human rights campaigners have separately argued that the team&#8217;s state sponsorship model functions as a form of sportswashing, using elite sport to improve international perception of the Bahraini government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this has produced sanctions against the riders currently on the 2026 Tour roster, and it sits alongside the team&#8217;s legitimate sporting achievements rather than overriding them. But a complete picture of who Bahrain Victorious is should include this context rather than presenting the team purely through its results sheet, particularly given how visibly this history has been reported by major cycling and mainstream outlets over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">The team&#8217;s co-sponsor at its 2016 founding was Merida Bikes, which left its prior partnership with Lampre-Merida, where it had been co-sponsor since 2013, to join the new Bahraini project. That nine-year partnership has now ended, and what replaced it is the single biggest off-bike story Bahrain Victorious carries into the 2026 Tour de France.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_1ad0d7-9c .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_1ad0d7-9c .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_1ad0d7-9c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bianchi Switch \u2014 Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s Biggest Off-Bike Story of 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting from the 2026 season, Bahrain Victorious is racing with a completely different bike brand than the one it rode for nine years. The WorldTour team made official a multi-year agreement with the legendary Italian firm Bianchi, founded in 1885 and now the successor to Merida as the team&#8217;s bike supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CEO Milan Er\u017een explained the thinking behind the switch: <em>&#8220;When we first met with Bianchi to explore the possibility of collaboration, it was clear that we shared the same spirit and goals. We saw their ambition to build on their rich heritage and legacy, while looking to the future, working with us on advancements, development and a modern vision for high-performance cycling.&#8221; Bianchi CEO Alberto Cavaggioni offered a similar framing from the manufacturer&#8217;s side: &#8220;We are extremely proud to be the new partner of Team Bahrain Victorious, with whom we share values such as history, innovation and the desire to win.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing carries its own subplot. Bianchi had previously sponsored Team Ark\u00e9a-B&amp;B Hotels in 2025, a partnership that ended when that squad folded due to financial difficulties. Bahrain Victorious represents Bianchi&#8217;s reentry into top-tier WorldTour sponsorship and the brand has treated the relationship with real seriousness rather than a simple paint-job rebrand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">What makes this genuinely significant for 2026, rather than just a routine kit change: Bianchi went early with the launch of a major redesign, the first major overhaul of its Specialissima model since September 2023, specifically timed ahead of the Tour de France. More notably, this broke an expected redesign sequence entirely. Bianchi&#8217;s older Oltre aero bike, in continuous service since 2022, was the model most observers expected to be updated next in the brand&#8217;s usual product cycle. Instead, Bianchi chose to completely overhaul the Specialissima, transforming what had previously been the brand&#8217;s pure lightweight climbing bike into a genuine aero all-rounder. Bahrain Victorious is the team this redesign decision was built around, with the brand explicitly crediting rider feedback from the squad in shaping the final product.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_3d1b4f-07 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_3d1b4f-07 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_3d1b4f-07\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Bahrain Victorious 2026 Tour de France Start List \u2014 All 8 Riders<\/h2>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id7503_0a4aa7-21 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column7503_602aac-d1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column7503_602aac-d1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image7503_461007-b9.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image7503_461007-b9 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:500px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image7503_461007-b9.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image7503_461007-b9 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image7503_461007-b9 figure{max-width:500px;}.kb-image7503_461007-b9 .image-is-svg, .kb-image7503_461007-b9 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image7503_461007-b9 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image7503_461007-b9\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1122\" height=\"1402\" src=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters.jpg\" alt=\"Bahrain Victorious 2026 Tour de France Start List\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-7589\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters.jpg 1122w, https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-final-rosters-10x12.jpg 10w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1122px) 100vw, 1122px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The squad blends two credible GC ambitions with one of the deepest stage-hunting rosters in the race \u2014 a structure built to deliver a positive Tour regardless of how the overall classification battle plays out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.bahrain-riders-wrap {\n  max-width: 960px;\n  margin: 2rem auto;\n  font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-card {\n  background: #ffffff;\n  border-radius: 20px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.25);\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-header {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 12px;\n  padding: 1.2rem 1.5rem 0.9rem;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.15);\n  background: #EFEEEB;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-title {\n  font-family: 'Galibier', sans-serif !important;\n  font-size: 1.2rem !important;\n  font-weight: 700 !important;\n  text-transform: uppercase !important;\n  letter-spacing: 1.5px !important;\n  color: #111 !important;\n  margin: 0 !important;\n  line-height: 1.2 !important;\n  padding: 0 !important;\n  border: none !important;\n  flex: 1;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-badge {\n  font-size: 0.65rem;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  letter-spacing: 0.8px;\n  background: #EAF3DE;\n  color: #27500A;\n  padding: 4px 10px;\n  border-radius: 12px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.3);\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-scroll {\n  overflow-x: auto;\n  -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;\n  background: #ffffff;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  min-width: 680px;\n  font-size: 0.85rem;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-table thead th {\n  font-family: 'Galibier', sans-serif;\n  font-size: 0.65rem;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  letter-spacing: 0.6px;\n  color: #555;\n  text-align: left;\n  padding: 0.7rem 0.9rem;\n  background: #EFEEEB;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.2);\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-table tbody td {\n  padding: 0.7rem 0.9rem;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.08);\n  vertical-align: top;\n  line-height: 1.4;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-table tbody tr:hover {\n  background: #F8F8F6;\n}\n\n.bahrain-riders-table tbody tr:last-child td {\n  border-bottom: none;\n}\n\n.rider-name-col {\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: #111;\n}\n\n.rider-flag-col {\n  font-size: 1.2rem;\n  line-height: 1;\n}\n\n.rider-gc-highlight {\n  font-weight: 700;\n  color: #111;\n}\n\n@media (max-width: 600px) {\n  .bahrain-riders-table thead th,\n  .bahrain-riders-table tbody td {\n    padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem;\n    font-size: 0.8rem;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"bahrain-riders-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"bahrain-riders-card\">\n    \n    <div class=\"bahrain-riders-header\">\n      <h3 class=\"bahrain-riders-title\">Bahrain Victorious \u2014 Rider by Rider<\/h3>\n      <span class=\"bahrain-riders-badge\">8 cavaliers<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"bahrain-riders-scroll\">\n      <table class=\"bahrain-riders-table\">\n        <thead>\n          <tr>\n            <th>Cavalier<\/th>\n            <th>Nat<\/th>\n            <th>Age<\/th>\n            <th>R\u00f4le<\/th>\n            <th>Territoire du stade primaire<\/th>\n          <\/tr>\n        <\/thead>\n        <tbody>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col rider-gc-highlight\">Antonio Tiberi<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9<\/td>\n            <td>25<\/td>\n            <td>GC Co-Leader<\/td>\n            <td>Mountains \u00b7 Stage 1 TTT \u00b7 ITT<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col rider-gc-highlight\">Lenny Martinez<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7<\/td>\n            <td>22<\/td>\n            <td>GC Co-Leader \/ KOM Hunter<\/td>\n            <td>Arriv\u00e9es au sommet \u00b7 Montagnes<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Damiano Caruso<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9<\/td>\n            <td>38<\/td>\n            <td>Mountain Domestique \/ Stage Hunter<\/td>\n            <td>High mountain support<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Matej Mohori\u010d<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee<\/td>\n            <td>31<\/td>\n            <td>Breakaway \/ Descender<\/td>\n            <td>Rolling and Classics-style stages<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Phil Bauhaus<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea<\/td>\n            <td>31<\/td>\n            <td>Sprinter<\/td>\n            <td>Flat bunch sprints<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Kamil Gradek<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1<\/td>\n            <td>35<\/td>\n            <td>Road Captain<\/td>\n            <td>All terrain \u00b7 Tactical support<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Robert Stannard<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa<\/td>\n            <td>27<\/td>\n            <td>Engine \/ Sprint Support<\/td>\n            <td>Flat stages \u00b7 Bauhaus lead-out<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n            <td class=\"rider-name-col\">Vlad Van Mechelen<\/td>\n            <td class=\"rider-flag-col\">\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea<\/td>\n            <td>22<\/td>\n            <td>Breakaway \/ Debutant<\/td>\n            <td>Hilly and breakaway stages<\/td>\n          <\/tr>\n        <\/tbody>\n      <\/table>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Antonio Tiberi \u2014 Italy&#8217;s GC Hope Arrives Three Years Later Than Expected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonio Tiberi targeted the Giro d&#8217;Italia in 2025, only to suffer through the final week after a nasty crash derailed his campaign. The Tour de France is his next attempt at proving his GC credentials and according to his own teammates and performance staff, it may actually suit him better than the Giro does, thanks to the French race&#8217;s more gradual mountain gradients and the specific impact of its time trial stages on the overall standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His breakthrough as a genuine GC contender came in 2024, with a fifth-place finish at the Giro that confirmed three-week stage racing was within his range. This season started strongly, fourth at the Tour of Valencia, second at the UAE Tour, before his form dipped through the middle months of the year. Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s own assessment captures both the optimism and the caveat plainly: <em>&#8220;Antonio had a good start to the season before he struggled a bit with his form. We now feel he&#8217;s back on track, and although he showed what he&#8217;s capable of in the Giro two years ago, the Tour de France is a different race. He&#8217;ll have experienced support riders with him.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">That last point matters as much as anything about his own form. A GC debut at the Tour de France is unlike a GC debut anywhere else in cycling \u2014 the depth of the field, the scrutiny, and the cumulative fatigue of three weeks against the strongest collection of climbers in the sport all compound in ways smaller races simply don&#8217;t replicate. Tiberi&#8217;s support cast, built around Caruso&#8217;s mountain experience, is the team&#8217;s answer to that gap.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_1202a3-60 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_1202a3-60 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_1202a3-60\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lenny Martinez \u2014 Third Tour, First Real Shot at Delivering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is Martinez&#8217;s third consecutive Tour de France. His first two appearances ended in disappointment, and at 22, he is eager to finally produce the Grand Tour performance his talent has long promised. His first Tour, in 2024, arrived almost as an afterthought, riding for Groupama FDJ United just after the team learned he was leaving for Bahrain Victorious, a situation neither side could have found comfortable. Last year, in his first Tour with his new team, the diminutive climber returned with real purpose and wore the polka-dot jersey for a long stretch of the race before it slipped away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His 2026 season has shown the form that makes a third attempt feel different: fifth at Paris-Nice, second at the Tour of Catalonia, third at the Tour de Romandie. A crash before the Tour de Suisse compromised his opening-stage performances there, but he looked considerably stronger by the race&#8217;s final mountain stage, a pattern that suggests his form is returning at exactly the right moment for July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Our goal is to bring home a stage victory and fight for the polka dot jersey,&#8221;<\/em> Martinez said ahead of the Tour. <em>&#8220;We have a really strong team with several riders capable of winning stages, and we will look for the right opportunities throughout the race.&#8221;<\/em> Notably, he is not framing this campaign around the overall classification, the polka-dot mountains jersey and a stage win are the explicit, achievable targets, distinct from Tiberi&#8217;s top-10 GC ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Damiano Caruso \u2014 One Last Tour, One Specific Unfinished Goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is Damiano Caruso&#8217;s final Grand Tour. At 38, he comes out of the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia in excellent condition, having spent recovery time at team partner Villars Palace&#8217;s facilities before arriving at the Tour in genuinely strong shape. His listed role is protecting both Tiberi and Martinez in the mountains, a split responsibility that asks one rider to read two separate GC campaigns simultaneously across the same climbs. But he carries his own motivation too: a stage victory at the Tour would complete the rare feat of winning a stage at all three Grand Tours across his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What most previews of this team&#8217;s Tour squad miss entirely is the Giro context that makes Caruso&#8217;s current mountain credibility so concrete. At the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia, Caruso served as lead-out man for young Brazilian rider Afonso Eul\u00e1lio and, almost as an aside to that support role, casually finished ninth himself in the process. Eul\u00e1lio spent nine days in the pink leader&#8217;s jersey during that Giro and finished sixth overall, claiming the white best-young-rider classification. That is Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s single clearest piece of evidence for current mountain-support capability heading into July, and it directly involves the rider now tasked with protecting two GC leaders through the Pyrenees and the Alps. Eul\u00e1lio himself was not selected for the 2026 Tour squad, the team chose to prioritize Tiberi and Martinez&#8217;s support structure instead, but the form and tactical sharpness Caruso displayed protecting him in Italy translates directly to what Bahrain Victorious needs from him in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Matej Mohori\u010d \u2014 The Most Decorated Stage Hunter in Team History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matej Mohori\u010d has won more Tour de France stages than any rider in Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s history, three to date, and he arrives in 2026 targeting rolling, classics-style terrain where his particular combination of descending skill and tactical breakaway instinct gives him a genuine edge over the field. His 2026 season has been relatively quiet by his own standards, but he has still shown flashes of his quality, and his profile remains perfectly suited to medium-mountain and transition stages, exactly the terrain where GC teams often allow a breakaway to survive because the stage doesn&#8217;t threaten the overall classification battle. He is almost certain to be one of Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s most dangerous attacking cards whenever those opportunities arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phil Bauhaus \u2014 Third Tour, Still Chasing That First Stage Win<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phil Bauhaus makes his third Tour de France appearance in 2026. He has come close to a stage victory before without quite landing one, and the team believes he can challenge again on the right day \u2014 while also noting his willingness to work for his teammates whenever the race demands it rather than purely chasing his own result. With roughly eight stages on the 2026 route forecast to end in a bunch sprint, his window of opportunity is real, even against a sprint field that includes several proven winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kamil Gradek \u2014 The Reliable Road Captain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kamil Gradek is one of the most reliable riders in the peloton, and his teammates&#8217; confidence in him is complete. His value at the Tour is rarely visible in highlight packages, it shows up in correct positioning before a crucial split, in tactical reads that prevent a dangerous move from gaining time, and in the kind of crucial support that determines whether a stage goes to plan or unravels in the final 20 kilometers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Robert Stannard \u2014 A Huge Engine Coming Off a Strong Giro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robert Stannard arrives at the Tour after a strong showing at the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia, carrying a genuinely huge engine that the team intends to use across multiple roles \u2014 supporting Bauhaus directly in sprint finishes and contributing broader support to the rest of the squad throughout the race&#8217;s three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vlad Van Mechelen \u2014 The Belgian Debutant Already Making an Impression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">Vlad Van Mechelen is 22, Belgian, and makes his Grand Tour debut at this Tour de France after an impressive breakaway ride at the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, where he finished third on Stage 2. His debut is explicitly framed as a learning experience by the team, but he is also expected to play a genuine tactical role as Bauhaus&#8217;s final lead-out rider on sprint stages, a meaningful responsibility for a rider yet to start a three-week race. Bahrain Victorious describes this Tour as a potential major step in his development, not simply participation for its own sake.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_e561d8-06 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_e561d8-06 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_e561d8-06\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Genuinely Balanced Team \u2014 What &#8220;Balance&#8221; Actually Means Here<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;We&#8217;re coming into the Tour with a really balanced team,&#8221;<\/em> Sports Director Roman Kreuziger said. <em>&#8220;Our main objective is to fight for stage victories, while also supporting Antonio Tiberi in the general classification. We believe he can challenge for a top ten.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That word, balanced, gets used in nearly every team preview across the peloton, but here it describes something specific and slightly unusual. Bahrain Victorious arrives with Tiberi and Martinez both carrying credible GC ambitions on the same eight-rider squad: Tiberi targeting an overall top-10, Martinez targeting the mountains and polka-dot classification rather than outright general classification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a softer version of the dual-leadership tension visible elsewhere in the 2026 field, but with one important structural difference. Caruso is explicitly tasked with protecting both Antonio and Lenny in the mountains, meaning the team&#8217;s primary mountain support rider must split his attention across two separate ambitions on the same climbs, rather than the squad dividing into two cleanly separated support groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">Running alongside that dual-GC structure is a genuinely deep stage-hunting layer \u2014 Mohori\u010d, Bauhaus, and Van Mechelen, with Gradek and Stannard providing tactical and physical support. That combination gives the squad multiple realistic paths to a positive Tour de France even if the Tiberi\/Martinez GC battle doesn&#8217;t fully deliver. Caruso&#8217;s personal ambition to complete a stage win at all three Grand Tours adds a third storyline running in parallel to the team&#8217;s primary objectives, a reminder that &#8220;balanced&#8221; here means genuinely multiple credible outcomes, not just diplomatic language covering for a single clear priority.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_b7bda0-53 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_b7bda0-53 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_b7bda0-53\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Bikes Does Bahrain Victorious Ride at the 2026 Tour de France?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the Bianchi agreement, Bahrain Victorious riders have the full range of the brand&#8217;s Reparto Corse products at their disposal: the Oltre, Bianchi&#8217;s flagship aerodynamic machine; the Specialissima, geared toward lightness and versatility; the Aquila time trial platform; and the Impulso, designed for competitive gravel riding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bianchi Specialissima RC \u2014 The Climbing Platform<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The all-new Specialissima was redesigned from the ground up for 2026, with the ultra-premium RC frame coming in 40 grams lighter than its predecessor at just 750 grams in a size 55 \u2014 while Bianchi maintains the new frame holds the same stiffness level as before. The redesign delivers a claimed 16-watt improvement over its predecessor at 50 km\/h, a meaningful gain on a bike whose primary job is still climbing efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ridden by Bahrain Victorious, the new bike specifically retains the previous generation&#8217;s geometry, a deliberate choice made at the team&#8217;s request. Following extensive feedback from the squad, Bianchi instead focused its refinement efforts on rider positioning through updated cockpit dimensions and reach, rather than altering the fundamental frame geometry riders had already adapted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flagship RC tier features the 750-gram frameset built from ultra-high modulus carbon fibres, an RC integrated cockpit, and the RC 49R carbon wheelset \u2014 49mm depth, 25mm internal width, straight-pull spokes \u2014 paired with either Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or SRAM Red AXS groupset options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the 2026 Tour specifically, Lenny Martinez, as a pure featherweight climber, will almost certainly ride the Specialissima exclusively across the race, it matches his explosive, high-cadence climbing style perfectly. Antonio Tiberi will rely on the same chassis for the three-week consistency his GC campaign demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bianchi Oltre RC \u2014 The Aero and Sprint Platform<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oltre RC is one of the most aggressive aero bikes on the market, built around controversial &#8220;Air Deflector&#8221; technology on the head tube that remains subject to UCI race-day approval. It is stiffer, heavier, and significantly faster on flat terrain than the Specialissima \u2014 the classic aero-versus-climbing tradeoff, executed at the extreme end of the aero spectrum. The Oltre has carried the legacy of an immediate UCI ban on its original aero fins design and has been in continuous service since 2022, making it the elder statesman of Bianchi&#8217;s current racing lineup even as the Specialissima just received the brand&#8217;s full redesign attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Matej Mohori\u010d \u2014 often nicknamed <em>&#8220;the King of the Dropper Post&#8221;<\/em> for his innovative use of dropper seatposts on technical descents \u2014 the Oltre is the natural successor to his old Merida Reacto, providing the maximum speed his trademark solo attacks and descents require. Phil Bauhaus, the team&#8217;s pure sprinter, needs every available watt of aero efficiency for the bunch kick finishes that define his role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Full Component Specification<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team runs what amounts to a hybrid component setup, deliberately mixing Japanese precision with Italian composite engineering rather than committing to a single groupset manufacturer&#8217;s complete ecosystem. Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9270 handles shifting and braking duties, but the crankset itself is the carbon FSA K-Force Team Edition, meaning the team does not run a complete, single-brand Shimano groupset despite the drivetrain&#8217;s electronic core coming from Shimano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The power meter is a Power2Max NG unit \u2014 German-made, spider-based, integrated into the FSA crankset rather than relying on the Shimano factory power meter that most rival teams use. Wheels come from Vision, specifically the Metron 45 and 60 SL depths depending on stage profile. The cockpit is Bianchi&#8217;s proprietary Reparto Corse integrated unit, a requirement of the Oltre RC&#8217;s air deflector system \u2014 meaning riders gave up their familiar Vision Metron 5D handlebars entirely as part of the broader equipment switch. Tyres are Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR tubeless, run in the 28-30mm range. Saddles are Prologo Scratch M5, and pedals are Shimano Dura-Ace R9100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"><em>The Bianchi Specialissima RC \u2014 the same climbing platform Tiberi and Martinez race at the 2026 Tour \u2014 and the Bianchi Oltre RC aero platform used by Mohori\u010d and Bauhaus are available through Bianchi&#8217;s official retail and dealer network.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_391a64-10 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_391a64-10 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_391a64-10\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bahrain Victorious Sponsors &amp; Commercial Partners 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team is sponsored under the Bahrain name, with financial support flowing primarily from several state-linked or large-scale Bahraini enterprises: the Bahrain Economic Development Board, the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), the Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), the National Bank of Bahrain, Al Salam Bank, and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bapco Energies and Bahrain Victorious renewed their partnership for 2026, continuing a relationship that has supported the team since its inception in 2016. Group CEO Mark Thomas framed the continuation around shared values: <em>&#8220;Performance drives everything we do at Bapco Energies, from operational excellence to supporting top athletes. Our longstanding partnership with Bahrain Victorious is a testament to our shared focus on teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement.&#8221;<\/em> Er\u017een&#8217;s response underscored the depth of the relationship: <em>&#8220;Bapco Energies have truly been an integral part of our team from the very beginning.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the headline Bianchi switch, two further additions joined the sponsor roster for 2026. Chinese brand ELILEE became the team&#8217;s official electronic pump partner, with its crank and power sensor products already used in competition. Real estate developer OMNIYAT also joined as a team sponsor for the new season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Equipment partners:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">Bianchi (bikes), FSA (cranksets), Power2Max (power meters), Vision (wheels and cockpit components), Continental (tyres), Prologo (saddles), Rudy Project (helmets and eyewear), Shimano (drivetrain components).<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_0119d7-b5 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_0119d7-b5 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_0119d7-b5\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Team Management &amp; Staff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milan Er\u017een, General Manager and Managing Director, has held the position since the team&#8217;s 2016 inception, having previously worked as a sports consultant to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Key operational roles beneath him include Vladimir Miholjevi\u0107 as Technical Director and Special Projects Manager, and Rod Ellingworth as Operations Manager, focusing on the day-to-day logistics and coordination that keep a WorldTour team functioning across a full racing calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">The sports directing staff comprises a group of experienced former professional riders with genuine Grand Tour and Classics tactical expertise. Gorazd \u0160tangelj of Slovenia competed professionally from 1990 to 2011 for teams including Saeco and Fassa Bortolo, and has guided Bahrain Victorious through major events including the Giro d&#8217;Italia. Xavier Florencio Cabr\u00e9 of Spain rounds out the senior directing group. For the Tour de France specifically, Roman Kreuziger has joined the staff as a director \u2014 bringing his own former professional racing background directly to bear on the team&#8217;s most important three weeks of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_c34a4a-04 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_c34a4a-04 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_c34a4a-04\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s Development Pipeline \u2014 The Talent Behind the Headlines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No competitor preview of this team&#8217;s 2026 Tour squad mentions the development structure underneath it, but it is worth understanding as part of the full organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bahrain Victorious Development Team operates under the oversight of parent team general manager Milan Er\u017een, with Roberto Bressan serving as assistant sports director, coordinating the development squad&#8217;s alignment with the senior WorldTeam. In 2025, Slovenian rider Jakob Omrzel claimed the elite men&#8217;s road race title at the Slovenian National Championships, while Italian rider Alessandro Borgo won the under-23 men&#8217;s road race at the Italian National Championships \u2014 both products of a development pipeline that specifically leverages riders&#8217; form from international races like the Giro Next Gen and Tour of Slovenia as preparation for national title pushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">From 2026, the development squad also shifts to Bianchi as its official bike partner, extending the technical support arrangement across the organization&#8217;s entire structure rather than confining it to the WorldTour roster alone. The Bianchi switch, in other words, isn&#8217;t a senior-team-only story \u2014 it touches the full talent pipeline that eventually feeds riders like Lenny Martinez into the WorldTour squad in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_463e30-8a .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-7503_463e30-8a .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-7503_463e30-8a\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s Tour de France Record \u2014 Nibali, Landa, and a History of Near-Misses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2020, operating as Team Bahrain McLaren, Mikel Landa delivered a fourth-place finish in the Tour de France general classification, still the team&#8217;s best Grand Tour GC result to date, while Damiano Caruso placed tenth overall in the same race, the first real evidence that this organization&#8217;s mountain depth could produce a genuine GC result at cycling&#8217;s biggest race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team&#8217;s broader palmar\u00e8s carries real weight elsewhere: the Tour of Lombardy in 2017 and Milan-San Remo in 2018 with Vincenzo Nibali, Paris-Roubaix in 2021 with Sonny Colbrelli. These are Monument victories that most WorldTour organizations spend a decade chasing without success. But the Tour de France specifically has not yet produced a yellow jersey equivalent for Bahrain Victorious and Matej Mohori\u010d&#8217;s status as the most prolific Tour stage winner in team history reflects exactly that pattern: this is an organization whose Tour success has come through stage hunting rather than GC contention, the inverse of its Monument and Classics record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 squad construction, a credible dual-GC threat in Tiberi and Martinez, layered with one of the deepest stage-hunting rosters in the race, is explicitly designed to finally break that pattern, attacking the Tour de France from both directions at once rather than settling for one or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.bahrain-faq-wrap {\n  max-width: 960px;\n  margin: 2rem auto;\n  font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-card {\n  background: #f6fbee;\n  border-radius: 20px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.25);\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-header {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 12px;\n  padding: 1.2rem 1.5rem 0.9rem;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.15);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-title {\n  font-family: 'Galibier', sans-serif !important;\n  font-size: 1.2rem !important;\n  font-weight: 700 !important;\n  text-transform: uppercase !important;\n  letter-spacing: 1.5px !important;\n  color: #111 !important;\n  margin: 0 !important;\n  line-height: 1.2 !important;\n  padding: 0 !important;\n  border: none !important;\n  flex: 1;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-badge {\n  font-size: 0.65rem;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  letter-spacing: 0.8px;\n  background: #EAF3DE;\n  color: #27500A;\n  padding: 4px 10px;\n  border-radius: 12px;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.3);\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-list {\n  padding: 0.8rem 1.5rem 1.5rem;\n  display: flex;\n  flex-direction: column;\n  gap: 0.55rem;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-item {\n  background: rgba(255,255,255,0.45);\n  border: 1px solid rgba(99,153,34,0.12);\n  border-radius: 12px;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  transition: background 0.2s ease, border-color 0.2s ease;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-item:hover {\n  background: rgba(255,255,255,0.7);\n  border-color: rgba(99,153,34,0.25);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-item.open {\n  background: rgba(255,255,255,0.7);\n  border-color: rgba(99,153,34,0.3);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-question {\n  width: 100%;\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  justify-content: space-between;\n  gap: 1rem;\n  background: none;\n  border: none;\n  padding: 1rem 1.2rem;\n  cursor: pointer;\n  font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: #111;\n  text-align: left;\n  line-height: 1.4;\n  transition: background 0.15s ease;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-question:hover {\n  background: rgba(234,243,222,0.35);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-question-text {\n  flex: 1;\n  min-width: 0;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-icon {\n  width: 22px;\n  height: 22px;\n  flex-shrink: 0;\n  transition: transform 0.25s ease;\n  stroke: #27500A;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-item.open .bahrain-faq-icon {\n  transform: rotate(45deg);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-answer {\n  max-height: 0;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  transition: max-height 0.4s ease, padding 0.4s ease;\n  padding: 0 1.2rem;\n  font-size: 0.85rem;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n  line-height: 1.65;\n  background: rgba(255,255,255,0.2);\n  border-top: 1px solid transparent;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-item.open .bahrain-faq-answer {\n  max-height: 800px;\n  padding: 0.9rem 1.2rem 1.1rem;\n  border-top-color: rgba(99,153,34,0.1);\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-answer p {\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.bahrain-faq-answer strong {\n  color: #000;\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n\n@media (max-width: 600px) {\n  .bahrain-faq-list {\n    padding: 0.6rem 1rem 1.2rem;\n    gap: 0.45rem;\n  }\n  .bahrain-faq-question {\n    padding: 0.85rem 1rem;\n    font-size: 0.85rem;\n  }\n  .bahrain-faq-answer {\n    padding: 0 1rem;\n    font-size: 0.8rem;\n  }\n  .bahrain-faq-item.open .bahrain-faq-answer {\n    padding: 0.75rem 1rem 0.95rem;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"bahrain-faq-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"bahrain-faq-card\">\n    \n    <div class=\"bahrain-faq-header\">\n      <h2 class=\"bahrain-faq-title\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n      <span class=\"bahrain-faq-badge\">Bahrain<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"bahrain-faq-list\" id=\"bahrainFaqAccordion\">\n\n      <!-- Q1 open by default -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item open\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"true\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who is on Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s 2026 Tour de France squad?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s confirmed 2026 Tour squad is <strong>Antonio Tiberi, Lenny Martinez, Damiano Caruso, Matej Mohori\u010d, Phil Bauhaus, Kamil Gradek, Robert Stannard, and Vlad Van Mechelen.<\/strong> Van Mechelen is the squad&#8217;s only Grand Tour debutant, while Caruso is riding his final-ever Tour de France before retirement.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q2 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who is Antonio Tiberi?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Antonio Tiberi is a 25-year-old Italian professional cyclist making his Tour de France debut in 2026 as Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s general classification leader. He broke through with a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Giro d&#8217;Italia. His 2026 season included a fourth-place finish at the Tour of Valencia and second at the UAE Tour. He targets a top-10 overall finish at the Tour.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q3 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who is Lenny Martinez?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Lenny Martinez is a 22-year-old French professional cyclist entering his third consecutive Tour de France in 2026. He previously wore the polka-dot mountains jersey for an extended period during the 2025 Tour. His explicit goal for 2026 is a stage win combined with another push for the polka-dot jersey.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q4 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Why is this Damiano Caruso&#8217;s final Tour de France?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Damiano Caruso, 38, has announced that the 2026 Tour de France will be his final Grand Tour before retirement. He arrives in strong condition after a standout 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia. At the Tour, his roles include protecting both Antonio Tiberi and Lenny Martinez in the mountains, while also pursuing a personal goal: completing a stage win at all three Grand Tours across his career.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q5 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>The polka dot jersey is awarded to the leader of the Tour de France&#8217;s mountains classification, contested by accumulating points at the summit of categorized climbs. Tougher climbs award more points. Lenny Martinez of Bahrain Victorious wore the polka-dot jersey for an extended stretch during the 2025 Tour and is targeting it again in 2026.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q6 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who is Matej Mohori\u010d?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Matej Mohori\u010d is a Slovenian professional cyclist who holds the team record for most Tour de France stage wins, with three career victories at the race. Known for his innovative use of dropper seatposts during high-speed descents, he is regarded as one of the peloton&#8217;s most dangerous attacking riders on rolling and classics-style terrain.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q7 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is the Bianchi Specialissima?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>The Bianchi Specialissima is a lightweight, climbing-focused road bike used by Bahrain Victorious at the 2026 Tour de France. The 2026 redesign reduced the flagship RC frame weight by 40 grams to 750 grams in a size 55, while delivering a claimed 16-watt aerodynamic improvement at 50 km\/h over the previous generation.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q8 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is the Bianchi Oltre?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>The Bianchi Oltre is an aerodynamic-focused road bike used by Bahrain Victorious for flat and sprint-oriented stages at the 2026 Tour de France. It features controversial &#8220;Air Deflector&#8221; technology on the head tube and is stiffer and heavier than the team&#8217;s Specialissima climbing bike but offers significantly greater speed on flat terrain.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q9 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What groupset does Bahrain Victorious use?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious runs a hybrid component setup, combining <strong>Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9270<\/strong> for shifting and braking with an FSA K-Force Team Edition carbon crankset and Power2Max NG power meter. Wheels come from Vision (Metron 45 and 60 SL depths).<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q10 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What happened at the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia for Bahrain Victorious?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>At the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia, Bahrain Victorious enjoyed a standout campaign built around breakthrough rider Afonso Eul\u00e1lio, who spent nine days in the pink leader&#8217;s jersey and ultimately finished sixth overall, claiming the white best-young-rider classification. Damiano Caruso played a pivotal lead-out role while still finishing ninth himself.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q11 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who is Afonso Eul\u00e1lio?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Afonso Eul\u00e1lio is a Brazilian professional cyclist who made a significant breakthrough at the 2026 Giro d&#8217;Italia, spending nine days in the pink jersey before finishing sixth overall and winning the white jersey. He was not selected for Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s 2026 Tour de France squad.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q12 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is a road captain in cycling?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>A road captain is a designated rider responsible for real-time tactical decision-making from inside the peloton during a race stage. <strong>Kamil Gradek<\/strong> serves this role for Bahrain Victorious at the 2026 Tour de France, drawing on his reputation as one of the most reliable and trusted riders in the peloton.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q13 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Has Bahrain Victorious ever won the Tour de France?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious has not won the Tour de France overall classification. The team&#8217;s best Tour GC result came in 2020 when Mikel Landa finished fourth overall. The team&#8217;s Tour success has instead come primarily through stage wins, with Matej Mohori\u010d holding the team record at three career stage victories.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q14 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s best Tour de France GC result?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious&#8217;s best Tour de France general classification result is <strong>fourth place overall<\/strong>, achieved by Mikel Landa in 2020. Damiano Caruso, who remains on the 2026 Tour squad, finished tenth overall in that same race.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q15 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who owns Bahrain Victorious?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious is owned by the <strong>Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company<\/strong>, a sovereign wealth fund controlled by the government of Bahrain. The team was created in 2016 with the involvement of Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Slovenian general manager Milan Er\u017een.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q16 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What was Bahrain Victorious called before?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious was previously known as Bahrain-Merida from its 2017 debut season, and briefly raced as Bahrain-McLaren in 2020. It adopted the Bahrain Victorious name ahead of the 2021 season.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q17 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Who sponsors Bahrain Victorious?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious is sponsored primarily by Bahraini state and state-linked enterprises. Equipment partners for 2026 include Bianchi (bikes), FSA (cranksets), Power2Max (power meters), Vision (wheels), Continental (tyres), Prologo (saddles), and Rudy Project (helmets and eyewear).<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q18 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: Why did Bahrain Victorious switch from Merida to Bianchi?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious ended a nine-year partnership with Merida and signed a multi-year agreement with Italian manufacturer Bianchi ahead of the 2026 season. Team CEO Milan Er\u017een cited shared ambition and values around innovation and high-performance development as the basis for the switch.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q19 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What controversies has Bahrain Victorious faced?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>Bahrain Victorious has faced several documented controversies tied to its state ownership structure, including a 2022 Tour de France search by French investigators of team staff and riders as part of a doping investigation. Human rights organizations have separately criticized the team&#8217;s sponsorship structure. No sanctions have resulted against riders on the current 2026 roster.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <!-- Q20 -->\n      <div class=\"bahrain-faq-item\">\n        <button class=\"bahrain-faq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n          <span class=\"bahrain-faq-question-text\">Q: What is the Bahrain Victorious Development Team?<\/span>\n          <svg class=\"bahrain-faq-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\">\n            <line x1=\"12\" y1=\"5\" x2=\"12\" y2=\"19\"\/><line x1=\"5\" y1=\"12\" x2=\"19\" y2=\"12\"\/>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"bahrain-faq-answer\">\n          <p>The Bahrain Victorious Development Team is the organization&#8217;s UCI Continental-level feeder squad. The development team has produced national champions and from 2026 also adopted Bianchi as its official bike partner, extending the WorldTour team&#8217;s new equipment partnership across the organization&#8217;s full talent pipeline.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  const accordion = document.getElementById('bahrainFaqAccordion');\n  if (!accordion) return;\n\n  accordion.addEventListener('click', function(e) {\n    const button = e.target.closest('.bahrain-faq-question');\n    if (!button) return;\n\n    const currentItem = button.closest('.bahrain-faq-item');\n    const isOpen = currentItem.classList.contains('open');\n\n    \/\/ Close all items\n    accordion.querySelectorAll('.bahrain-faq-item').forEach(item => {\n      item.classList.remove('open');\n      item.querySelector('.bahrain-faq-question').setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'false');\n    });\n\n    \/\/ Open clicked item if it wasn't already open\n    if (!isOpen) {\n      currentItem.classList.add('open');\n      button.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'true');\n    }\n  });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contenu connexe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-stage-1\/\">1re \u00e9tape du Tour de France 2026 : Contre-la-montre par \u00e9quipes \u00e0 Barcelone \u2014 Pr\u00e9sentation compl\u00e8te<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-route\/\">Itin\u00e9raire du Tour de France 2026\u00a0: les 21 \u00e9tapes expliqu\u00e9es<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-polka-dot-jersey\/\">Tour de France Polka Dot Jersey: How the Mountains Classification Works<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-startlist\/\">Liste compl\u00e8te des partants du Tour de France 2026 : les 23 \u00e9quipes et les 184 coureurs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-team-visma-lease-a-bike\/\">Team Visma | Lease a Bike : Guide complet du Tour de France 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-uno-x-mobility\/\">Uno-X Mobility: Tour de France 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-nsn-cycling-team\/\">NSN Cycling Team: Tour de France 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-team-jayco-alula\/\">Team Jayco AlUla: Tour de France 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-red-bull-bora-hansgrohe\/\">Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe: Tour de France 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-uae-team-emirates-xrg\/\">UAE Team Emirates-XRG: Tour de France 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/tour-de-france-2026-teams\/\">All Tour de France 2026 Teams and Analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last updated: July 1, 2026. Start list confirmed. Live stage results, GC standings, and breaking news updated throughout the race.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tour de France 2026 \u2014 Bahrain Victorious: Final Rosters &amp; Complete Team Guide This is the complete guide to Bahrain Victorious at the Tour de France 2026, covering their confirmed 8-rider start list with stage-type role breakdown, the team&#8217;s brand-new Bianchi equipment programme that replaced nine years on Merida, Antonio Tiberi&#8217;s Tour debut as GC&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tour-de-france"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":28,"label":"Tour de France"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tour-de-france-2026-team-bahrain-victorious-squad-1024x536.jpg",1024,536,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Gautier Durfort","author_link":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/author\/gautier-durfort\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":28,"name":"Tour de France","slug":"tour-de-france","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":28,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Live the Tour de France cycling race. Get stage results, route maps, team insights, and historical highlights from every edition of Le Grand Boucle.","parent":0,"count":75,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":28,"category_count":75,"category_description":"Live the Tour de France cycling race. Get stage results, route maps, team insights, and historical highlights from every edition of Le Grand Boucle.","cat_name":"Tour de France","category_nicename":"tour-de-france","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7503"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7591,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503\/revisions\/7591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}