Bahrain Victorious
Bahrain Victorious is a UCI WorldTour professional cycling team registered in Bahrain and managed by Milan Eržen. The team was established in 2017 under the name Bahrain–Merida and became Bahrain Victorious in 2021. Over recent seasons, the team has developed a reputation for its strength in mountainous stage races and tactical depth across week-long tours and Grand Tours. Key riders include Pello Bilbao, Antonio Tiberi and Wout Poels.
Full official team name and common short name
Team Bahrain Victorious; commonly “Bahrain Victorious” or “Bahrain” and with TBV as the UCI shortcode.
Team category and status
UCI WorldTeam in men’s road cycling, with automatic entry to all WorldTour events, including the three Grand Tours and the five Monuments.
Primary disciplines
Men’s elite road racing across Grand Tours, one‑week stage races and one‑day classics, with a strong tilt toward stage hunting, puncheur terrain and selective GC.
Country of registration and base location
Registered in Bahrain with a European service‑course and performance-based support to support a full WorldTour calendar.
Founding year and origin story
Founded in 2017 as Bahrain–Merida to showcase the Kingdom of Bahrain on cycling’s biggest stage; rebranded to Bahrain Victorious in 2021 to reflect a results‑first identity across Grand Tours and Monuments.
Current title sponsor and key partners (2026)
The team is backed by the state of Bahrain as its title sponsor, and will race on Bianchi bikes in 2026, a new partnership for the squad, paired with a Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset. Rolling stock comes from Vision with Continental tyres, while the contact points are handled by Prologo saddles. The kit is supplied by Alé, with helmets and eyewear from Rudy Project and Scicon.
Previous team names and sponsor history
Bahrain–Merida (2017–2019), Bahrain–McLaren (2020), Bahrain Victorious (2021–present).
What are the key achievements of Bahrain Victorious?
Paris-Roubaix 2021 with Sonny Colbrelli and Milan-San Remo 2022 with Matej Mohorič headline the list of marquee results. The team has also won Tour de France stages with Matej Mohorič in 2021 and 2023, plus further stage victories in 2023 through Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels. In the Giro d'Italia, Damiano Caruso finished second in 2021 and Mikel Landa took third in 2022. Add multiple Grand Tour stage wins across all three tours, national championships, and a steady stream of WorldTour one-day victories.
2026 roster
Bahrain Victorious lines up in 2026 with clear leaders and real depth across every terrain. Matej Mohorič remains the reference point for the classics and stage hunting, while Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago and the rising Antonio Tiberi headline the team’s Grand Tour and one-week GC ambitions. Damiano Caruso is still the mountain road captain and a genuine threat from breakaways. Attila Valter and Lenny Martinez add extra upside for GC and hilly one-day races.
In the sprint department, Phil Bauhaus is the designated finisher, supported by Nikias Arndt, Kamil Gradek, Mathijs Paasschens, Daniel Škerl and Matevž Govekar for positioning and lead out duties, with Alberto Bruttomesso developing into another fast option.
Beyond the headline names, Alec Segaert brings time trial power and northern classics edge, while Rainer Kepplinger, Robert Stannard and Afonso Eulálio provide the steady horsepower needed for break control and hard transition days. The talent pipeline is equally strong, with Edoardo Zambanini and Pau Miquel on the climbs, plus Jakob Omrzel, Vlad Van Mechelen, Max van der Meulen, Alessandro Borgo, Žak Eržen and Oliver Stockwell giving the squad genuine future firepower.
Key alumni
Bahrain Victorious’ alumni underline the team’s rapid rise and breadth. Vincenzo Nibali closed his glittering career after delivering Grand Tour leadership and hallmark aggression in Bahrain colours, while Sonny Colbrelli’s 2021 Paris–Roubaix remains a defining victory before his premature retirement.
Mark Cavendish spent 2020 with the squad before rekindling his Tour story elsewhere; Rohan Dennis also passed through, bringing world‑class TT pedigree.
Dylan Teuns took marquee wins, including the Tour and La Flèche Wallonne, before moving on, and Jan Tratnik evolved into a key classics and TT force ahead of his transfer.
Jonathan Milan blossomed into a Grand Tour sprint and TT threat before his switch to Lidl–Trek. Franco Pellizotti capped his racing days here and transitioned into the team car. The late Gino Mäder, forever remembered, embodied the squad’s spirit with stage wins and mountain brilliance.
Together, they chart Bahrain’s evolution from ambitious newcomer to a WorldTour mainstay across Grand Tours, classics and sprints.
Key staff
Bahrain Victorious is led by general manager Milan Eržen, with long time tactician Gorazd Štangelj overseeing race operations.
A deep bench of assistant sports directors gives the team car real Grand Tour and classics know how. Roman Kreuziger and Franco Pellizotti bring stage race and climbing expertise, while Enrico Gasparotto and Xavier Florencio sharpen the Ardennes and one day playbook.
Borut Božič and Nikolas Maes focus on sprint trains and positioning, with Michał Gołaś and Aart Vierhouten adding northern classics craft. Vladimir Miholjević and Ioannis Tamouridis cover day to day race management and logistics, while Andrea Fusaz and Loïc Segaert contribute time trial, pacing and performance detail.