It’s a week packed with races for Bahrain Victorious, who will be in action in Spain, Benelux, and starting today in Germany, at the Deutschland Tour.
This will be the fifth edition of the UCI pro series race’s new format and runs from today to Sunday, starting with a short time-trial prologue in St Wendel. The four remaining stages cross from the west of the country to the north, finishing in Bremen.
“Compared to last year’s edition, the race changes character, as there isn’t a long climb to face. It’s more about classic stages with a punchy finish and sprint stages. We selected a lineup suited and prepared for that,” Bahrain Victorious SD Enrico Poitscke said.
Bahrain Victorious will contest the sprints with Phil Bauhaus, who is back to racing after the Tour de France: “I was a bit struggling with my health during the last few weeks, but now I recovered, and I’m feeling good again. The race is in my home country, and it’s the only stage race for the elite in Germany. Therefore I’m extra motivated to do well and get an excellent result.”
The German sprinter will have as lead-out men the above-mentioned Nikias Arndt (also racing at home) and Cameron Scott. In ‘domestique’ roles, Yukiya Arashiro and Rainer Kepplinger complete the six-man lineup, and for the Austrian, there is also the possibility to play stage-hunter.
The goal is to continue the victorious tradition that our team has in this race. In 2018, Matej Mohorič won the overall, the points jersey, and the youth classification, with a stage victory and a couple of podiums. The following year it was Sonny Colbrelli’s chance to shine in Germany: second on GC and the points jersey, after a stage win and two podium places. In 2021 we were the best team, while in the last edition, Bahrain Victorious were at the forefront again, with Pello Bilbao finishing second overall and winning the points classification. He also won the final stage and was second on stage 3.