Team Bahrain Victorious
Team information
UCI codeTBV
RegisteredBahrain
Founded2017
Discipline(s)Road
StatusUCI WorldTeam
BicyclesMerida
ComponentsShimano
WebsiteTeam home page
Key personnel
General managerMilan Eržen
Team manager(s)
Team name history
2017–2019 Bahrain–Merida
2020 Bahrain–McLaren
2021– Team Bahrain Victorious[1]
Current season

Team Bahrain Victorious (UCI team code: TBV[2]) is a UCI WorldTeam cycling team from Bahrain which was founded in 2017.[3] Its title sponsor is the government of Bahrain.

The team at the 2023 Paris–Nice

History

The idea for a Bahrain pro cycling team was started in August 2016 by Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.[4] The team is financed by the government of Bahrain to promote the country worldwide.

Doping

On 5 September 2018, the UCI announced that an out-of-competition test had resulted in an adverse analytical finding of erythropoietin in a sample collected 31 July 2018. Kanstantsin Sivtsov was provisionally suspended pending the result of any B sample test.[5]

Following Stage 17 of the 2021 Tour de France, French police raided the team's hotel and bus on the suspicion of doping.[6] The Police confirmed they conducted the raids and have the riders' training files in their possession, and "A preliminary enquiry has been opened to see if there has been, or not, acquisition, transport or possession of banned substances".[7]

On 27 June 2022, four days before the first stage of the 2022 Tour de France, Europol raided residences of several Team Bahrain Victorious staff and riders in several countries including Slovenia, Poland, and Spain. The team stated that the raids were directly linked to the hotel searches that took place at the previous year’s Tour, while Matej Mohorič and Jan Tratnik denied that their properties had been searched.[8]

Death of Gino Mäder

During the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse on 15 June 2023, Swiss rider Gino Mäder fell in a turn when descending from the stage's highest point at Albula Pass. Mäder, 26, was found to be unconscious and submerged in water. He was resuscitated and airlifted to a hospital in Chur. Mäder died from his injuries a day later.[9][10] Bahrain Victorious, along with two other teams, withdrew from the Tour on the next stage of competitive racing on 17 June 2023.[11]

Team roster

As of 3 March 2024.[12]
Rider Date of birth
 Yukiya Arashiro (JPN) (1984-09-22) 22 September 1984 (age 39)
 Nikias Arndt (GER) (1991-11-18) 18 November 1991 (age 32)
 Phil Bauhaus (GER) (1994-07-08) 8 July 1994 (age 29)
 Pello Bilbao (ESP) (1990-02-25) 25 February 1990 (age 34)
 Alberto Bruttomesso (ITA) (2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 20)
 Santiago Buitrago (COL) (1999-09-26) 26 September 1999 (age 24)
 Nicolò Buratti (ITA) (2001-07-07) 7 July 2001 (age 22)
 Damiano Caruso (ITA) (1987-10-12) 12 October 1987 (age 36)
 Matevž Govekar (SLO) (2000-04-17) 17 April 2000 (age 23)
 Kamil Gradek (POL) (1990-09-17) 17 September 1990 (age 33)
 Jack Haig (AUS) (1993-09-06) 6 September 1993 (age 30)
 Rainer Kepplinger (AUT) (1997-08-19) 19 August 1997 (age 26)
 Ahmed Madan (BHR) (2000-08-25) 25 August 2000 (age 23)
 Fran Miholjević (CRO) (2002-08-02) 2 August 2002 (age 21)
Rider Date of birth
 Matej Mohorič (SLO) (1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 29)
 Andrea Pasqualon (ITA) (1988-01-02) 2 January 1988 (age 36)
 Finlay Pickering (GBR) (2003-01-27) 27 January 2003 (age 21)
 Wout Poels (NED) (1987-10-01) 1 October 1987 (age 36)
 Johan Price-Pejtersen (DEN) (1999-05-26) 26 May 1999 (age 24)
 Dušan Rajović (SER) (1997-11-19) 19 November 1997 (age 26)
 Cameron Scott (AUS) (1998-01-04) 4 January 1998 (age 26)
 Jasha Sütterlin (GER) (1992-11-04) 4 November 1992 (age 31)
 Antonio Tiberi (ITA) (2001-06-24) 24 June 2001 (age 22)
 Torstein Træen (NOR) (1995-07-16) 16 July 1995 (age 28)
 Sergio Tu (TPE) (1997-02-24) 24 February 1997 (age 27)
 Łukasz Wiśniowski (POL) (1991-12-07) 7 December 1991 (age 32)
 Fred Wright (GBR) (1999-06-13) 13 June 1999 (age 24)
 Edoardo Zambanini (ITA) (2001-04-21) 21 April 2001 (age 22)

Major wins

Main article: List of wins by Bahrain–Merida and its successors

World, National and continental champions

2017
Ethiopia Time Trial, Tsgabu Grmay
2018
Spain Road Race, Gorka Izagirre
Slovenia Road Race, Matej Mohorič
2019
Taiwan Time Trial, Chun Kai Feng
Ukrainian Time Trial, Mark Padun
Slovenia Road Race, Domen Novak
2020
Spain Time Trial, Pello Bilbao
2021
Slovenia Time Trial, Jan Tratnik
Italy Road Race, Sonny Colbrelli
Slovenia Road Race, Matej Mohorič
European Road Race, Sonny Colbrelli
Taiwan Road Race, Chun Kai Feng
2022
Bahrain Road Race, Ahmed Madan
Slovenia Time Trial, Jan Tratnik
Japan Road Race, Yukiya Arashiro
Asia U23 Time Trial Ahmed Madan
2023
Croatia Time Trial, Fran Miholjević
British Road Race, Fred Wright
Serbia Road Race, Dušan Rajović
UCI World Gravel Championships, Matej Mohorič
Taiwan Time Trial, Sergio Tu

References

  1. ^ "Bahrain Victorious". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Bahrain Victorious". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Bahrain–Merida Pro Cycling Team 2017 season". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Who is really behind the Bahrain-Merida team? - Cycling Weekly". Cycling Weekly. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  5. ^ "UCI Statement on Kanstantsin Siutsou".
  6. ^ Benson, Daniel; July 2021, Simone Giuliani 15 (15 July 2021). "Police raid Bahrain Victorious hotel at Tour de France". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 15 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Police target Tour team Bahrain Victorious in anti-doping raid". France 24. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Police raid homes of Bahrain-Victorious riders, staffers on the eve of Tour de France". VeloNews. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Chute de Gino Mäder: le champion du monde s'indigne". Le Matin. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  10. ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair. "Gino Mäder dies after Tour de Suisse crash". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Evenepoel leads tributes to Gino Mäder after winning Tour de Suisse stage seven". The Guardian. PA Media. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Bahrain Victorious". UCI. Retrieved 5 January 2024.

Footnotes

External links

Riders on Team Bahrain Victorious
UCI WorldTeams
Team Bahrain Victorious seasons
Giro d'Italia team classification winners
Tour de France team classification winners
Vuelta a España team classification winners
Categories