CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious are set for five days of intense racing across Germany in the 2025 Lidl Deutschland Tour promises.
The event features an opening prologue today and four road stages.
Bahrain Victorious’ line-up is with Nikias Arndt, Phil Bauhaus, Alberto Bruttomesso, Zak Erzen, Vlad Van Mechelen, and Edoardo Zambanini.
The start is in Essen, with a short but technical three kilometres against the backdrop of the Unesco World Heritage Site ‘Zeche Zollverein’, where mere seconds will decide who wears the first leader’s jersey.
Stage one then covers 203km to Herford, with late climbs in the Teutoburg Forest and Stuckenberg testing the peloton before a city-centre sprint.
The following day, the peloton will cover 190km from Herford to Arnsberg, during which the Teutoburg Forest promises to be an early challenge. The steep Sauerland Seufzertal climb and a final circuit in Neheim will shape the outcome.
Stage three, a 175km classic-style battle, takes riders through the relentless climbs of the Sauerland and into Hesse. With 3,000m of elevation, including the notorious Hirschberger Wand’s (20 per cent gradient), this is the ‘Queen Stage’ and will likely decide Sunday’s overall victor.
The Tour concludes with 163km from Halle to Magdeburg. An early 18 per cent ascent should provide some jeopardy before the sprinters’ teams take control. The climax of the 2025 Lidl Deutschland Tour will be two high-speed laps along Magdeburg’s Schleinufer.
The team will back Bauhaus and Erzen in the sprints, aiming to capitalise on the fast finishes in Herford and Magdeburg. Arndt and Bruttomesso bring strength to the sprint train and depth on the hillier stages, while Zambanini and Van Mechelen will lead the team’s general classification (GC) ambitions. This versatile lineup ensures Bahrain Victorious remain a factor across every stage.
Bahrain Victorious’ lead sports director in Germany Gorazd Stangelj is confident in the six riders selected. “The Deutschland Tour opens with a short 3km prologue,” he explained. “There’s little strategy there, every rider must deliver their best effort, and it will immediately give us a picture of where we stand.
“Stage one is the longest of the race and should end in a bunch sprint, where Phil Bauhaus will be our leader. For stage two, we’ll reassess; if Phil has the legs, we stay with him, but we can also give Zak an opportunity as both are sprinters.
“When it comes to the GC, we expect the race to be too demanding for Phil or Zak, so Edoardo and Vlad will take on the ‘GC leader’ role.
“Each day features key climbs and intermediate sprints that will be decisive for bonus seconds. Stage three is the hardest, with constant climbing and narrow roads, so we’ll give full support to Edoardo and Vlad while keeping the race under control against breakaways.
“The final stage should be another sprint, where we’ll again choose between Phil and Zak depending on form, while Edoardo and Vlad continue to hunt time bonuses. Our clear goals are to win a stage and place a rider inside the GC top 10.
“Competition will be fierce: riders like Wout Van Aert, Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen, Alexander Kristoff, and Biniam Girmay can all survive the tougher sections and fight for both stages and the overall. Every second will matter in this race.
“The prologue will already be crucial, and although we don’t bring a pure time trial specialist, our task is to limit losses against Milan, the favourite for the time trial.
“Phil and Zak will spearhead the sprints, Edoardo and Vlad will focus on GC, and with Alberto and Nikias providing experience and positioning strength, we are confident in a strong all-around performance.”
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