CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious head to the Renewi Tour starting in Belgium today with a strong selection of punchy classics riders ready for five days of hard racing.
With no individual time trial this year, positioning, being in the right moves, and collecting the valuable Green Bonus seconds are expected to play a decisive role in the fight for the general classification (GC).
Matej Mohoric and Alec Segaert lead Bahrain Victorious’ line-up, with both riders keeping a close eye on the overall rankings.
Segaert returns to a race where he finished an impressive second overall in 2024, while Mohoric’s experience and ability across the demanding Belgian terrain make him another key option for the team.
Vlad Van Mechelen also provides the team with a strong GC option following a solid showing at the Tour de France.
For the expected bunch sprints, Zak Erzen and Alessandro Borgo give the team two fast options.
Borgo arrives in particularly good form and could be well suited to the tougher sprint finishes.
Kamil Gradek takes on the role of road captain and will provide key support throughout the five stages alongside Rob Stannard, with both riders returning to racing following the Tour de France.
The five-stage Renewi Tour gets underway in Diest before concluding in Leuven.
Three stages are expected to favour the bunch sprinters, while stages three and five will provide more selective racing for the GC contenders and are likely to play a decisive role in shaping the overall classification.
With no time trial to create significant gaps, the Green Kilometre and its three-two-one bonus seconds will add another important tactical dimension to the battle for the overall.
“We come here with a strong group and several different options,” said Bahrain Victorious sports director Nikolas Maes.
“Alec is in good shape, Matej gives us an attacking option, Vlad has come out of the Tour de France well, and Alessandro is also showing a very high level at the moment.
“With three stages likely to end in bunch sprints, alongside two harder days, we can approach the race in different ways. With Matej and Alec, we can look to race aggressively and create opportunities, while Vlad also gives us a strong option for the GC. We also have Zak and Alessandro as our options in the sprints.
“The Green Kilometre will also be important. Those bonus seconds can make a real difference to the GC, so from the beginning of the race we need to be alert and ready to fight for them.
“The level here is always high, and this year a lot of teams are bringing very strong sprint line-ups. In the pure bunch sprints, we’ll look for top-five and potentially podium results, but our biggest opportunities could come when the racing becomes harder. We want to be one of the teams making the race difficult rather than waiting for others.
“We’re looking forward to a strong Renewi Tour. After disappointing results in Burgos and Poland, the team is motivated to respond and we’re ready for the challenge.”
Segaert added: “I’m looking forward to the Renewi Tour after having a great result here in 2024. Unfortunately, there’s no time trial this year, so for the GC, a lot will come down to the harder stages, particularly Geraardsbergen and the Muur.
“I think we have a really competitive team, with Matej and Vlad also giving us strong options. We need to race aggressively, and I think we have a good chance of coming away with a strong result.
“Without the time trial, the bonus seconds will be even more important in deciding the GC, so we’ll also look to fight for those opportunities throughout the race.”
&uuid=(email))