CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious return to Belgium this weekend for a series of races targeting the fastest riders in the peloton.
The team will line up with a sprinter-focused squad across three events: the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen today, the Flandrien 0.0 Classic tomorrow, and the Gooikse Pijl on Sunday.
With slight changes to the lineup and leadership across the three races, the selected riders are Phil Bauhaus, Alessandro Borgo, Zak Erzen, Kamil Gradek, Matej Mohoric, Robert Stannard, Vlad Van Mechelen, and the pair of Balint Feldhoffer and Mikita Babovich who join from Bahrain Victorious Development Team.
“The goal is clear,” said Bahrain Victorious sports director Nikolas Maes. “I expect three strong results in these three races, where we will combine tactical intelligence with our capabilities as a team.”
The Belgian racing weekend begins with the 110th edition of the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, also known as Koolskamp Koers, named after the town hosting both the start and finish. The race is famous for its distinctive Flanders lion jersey, awarded to the winner, and its prestigious roll of honour, which includes cycling legends such as Eddy Merckx.
The 181-kilometre course consists of 12 local laps of 17 kilometres, setting the stage for a typical bunch sprint. The race attracts some of the world’s best sprinters each year, although the possibility remains for aggressive racing from breakaway specialists looking to avoid a group finish.
“I believe a bunch sprint is the most likely scenario, and that is what we will work towards, with the aim of bringing our fast man Zak to the finish line,” Maes explains. “The key will be staying organised and getting the timing right, with our lead-out train composed of Feldhoffer, Gradek and Bauhaus as the last man.
“Although it looks like an easy race on paper, the finale could be hectic. The wide, open roads can create constantly changing situations in the final kilometres, while the bends in the last kilometre can make positioning tricky. The wind could also play a role, and it goes without saying that we will face a very strong sprint field in Koolskamp.”
Alongside Feldhoffer, who recently raced in Italy with the UCI World Tour team, Babovich will join from the development squad, returning after his first experience at the Ronde van Limburg in April.
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