CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious are set for a busy two days in Europe, with riders lining up in Belgium for opening weekend while another squad heads to France, where the team will make its debut at the Faun-Ardeche Classic and Faun Drome Classic – a sort of ‘French Opening Weekend’ held in the Drome region.
Both one-day races, part of the UCI Pro Series calendar, are regarded as key tests for puncheurs and Classics specialists. With demanding circuits and technical finales, the weekend promises aggressive and selective racing.
Leadership in both events will centre around French star Lenny Martinez. He will be supported by a balanced line-up combining experience, climbing strength, and young talents making their season debut, including Slovenian national champion Jakob Omrzel and 19-year-old Kasper Borremans from the Bahrain Victorious Development Team.
Tomorrow, the 26th Faun-Ardeche Classic covers 187.6km around Guilherand-Granges, the start and finish location. The race features two long circuits totalling approximately 133 kilometres, followed by a 35.5km lap and a decisive final 19km circuit. A long and demanding climb around kilometre 142 is expected to shape the race, where positioning will be crucial.
On Sunday, the 14th Faun Drome Classic, starting and finishing in Etoile-sur-Rhone (189km), presents a different but equally challenging profile. The race begins with two-and-a-half laps on more exposed terrain, including two 47km circuits and a 28km section before entering the final hilly lap.
The first 130km, largely raced in open areas, will demand strong teamwork and constant attention to positioning and wind exposure.
With much of the peloton contesting Ardeche the day before, accumulated fatigue could play a decisive role. Bahrain Victorious will maintain the same line-up for Sunday, with only Omrzel replaced by Oliver Stockwell.
Bahrain Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger commented on the Ardeche-Drome weekend: “We are approaching two very tough races with a very high level of competition. The start lists are strong, but in general I believe we have a good roster and we should aim for a top-five result in both races.
“Starting with our leader, Lenny – for some it might have seemed hard that he didn’t win last weekend, but for us it was actually perfect. He tested himself and raced without overthinking, which was exactly the plan. I’m happy about that because now he knows where he stands. This weekend we will race with a bit more tactical awareness, especially against the other strong contenders.
“Jakob will make his debut with us. He will ride only on Saturday, as he is still very young and we need to be careful with how we manage his workload. His goal is to stay around Lenny, regain his feeling in the bunch, and see how far he can go.
“After Australia, Edoardo {Zambanini} and Fran {Miholjevic} were really looking forward to pinning on a number again. We’ve already seen how strong Edoardo can be, and Fran, as road captain, plays a crucial role in supporting and guiding the team. Roman {Ermakov} is a solid worker who is always ready to do the ‘dirty job,’ and he does that extremely well.
“Rainer {Kepplinger} comes from the UAE Tour, so I expect him to be attentive, especially at the beginning on Saturday. If the opportunity arises, he can be active early; otherwise, he will focus on supporting the team.
“We’re also very happy to have Kasper Borremans from our development team joining us. It’s important to integrate these young riders and help them gain experience with the World Team. Kasper had some military obligations recently, but he trained well and spent the last three weeks in the Canary Islands preparing. We’ll see where he stands and how he can contribute to the team effort.
“For Sunday’s Drome Classic, Jakob will rest and focus on the upcoming races, and we will bring in a fresh Oliver Stockwell. He has strong capacity, especially on the flat and rolling terrain, which will be important because the first 120km are quite open and exposed. Together with Roman, Rainer, and Fran, he will help protect the team as much as possible in the first part of the race. In the final, Edoardo and Lenny will take more responsibility in the decisive moves.
“The weather forecast looks good, which is important – I’ve done these races in the snow before, so this is definitely an improvement. Our goal is top five, but more importantly, I want us to race with the right spirit.
“Since the beginning of the season, the guys have shown great communication and teamwork. We learn from mistakes and keep moving forward.
“Of course, the other contenders are also preparing at a very high level, so nothing will be easy. But I’m confident that if we execute our plan well, we won’t just be fighting for the top five – we can aim even higher.”
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