CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious returns to the south of France for the Classic Var today and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes tomorrow.
This follows last year’s debut appearance, when the team featured prominently on the final podium with Santiago Buitrago finishing second and Lenny Martinez third, also claiming the Best Young Rider classification, while Bahrain Victorious was awarded Best Team.
In 2026, however, both races are adopting a different format – the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes becomes a one-day race, aiming for a more dynamic spectacle while retaining its climbing identity, while the Classic Var course is expected to favour the fast men rather than the pure climbers.
For this reason, French star Martinez will not start the 176.6km third Classic Var, where the team’s focus will be on sprinter Phil Bauhaus, as Bahrain Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger explains: “Classic Var will be a completely different race compared to previous years, with a profile more suited to the sprinters. That’s why we have selected this roster, with Phil standing out after the good shape he already showed in Almería. I expect a similar scenario here.
“Our boys, especially {Roman} Ermakov, will have to protect him in the first part. The mission is clear: protect Phil in the opening 30 kilometres, where there is one longer climb, and then manage the rolling terrain with some technical sections. The final is very fast and should suit him well. I expect a strong bunch sprint.
“Phil will be supported in the lead-out by {Zak} Erzen, {Vlad} Van Mechelen, and {Alec} Segaert, plus {Seth} Dunwoody, who has already raced with us. He is a Development Team rider, but he has shown good quality and we are happy to have him in the final lead-out.
“Regarding Pau {Miquel}, who is coming down from altitude, like Vlad and Alec, he will be our joker – an option in case the race ends with a reduced group of attackers.”
Tomorrow, the 58th Tour des Alpes-Maritimes will take place in its new one-day format, designed by the organisers to make the race more dynamic. The 154km course from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Biot features approximately 3,000 metres of elevation gain, including Col d’Eze (7.4km at 4.8 per cent), Col de Chateauneuf (6.8km at 6.4 per cent), and Col de Carros (5.6km at 5.1 per cent), before the final ascent to Gourdon (11.8km at 4.6 per cent).
The race will mark the seasonal debut of Martinez, who will lead the team on his home roads, replacing Bauhaus as the only change from the previous day’s lineup.
Kreuziger shared his expectations for tomorrow’s race: “The course is similar to what we raced last year – in a beautiful place but with a very tough first 85km, featuring climbs that we will also face later in the season at Paris-Nice.
“We know what to expect: it will be aggressive and fireworks from the start and throughout the day.
“We hope Pau responds well after the altitude camp, and of course Lenny, who makes his season debut. From the data we can see he is in good shape and highly motivated – and that makes a big difference when it comes to performance. Let’s hope we can deliver a strong weekend.”
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