CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious will hit the road today in the 95th Bretagne Classic-CIC, set to take place today in Plouay, France.
The one-day race features a revamped route with a challenging 228.3-kilometre course featuring 3,663 metres of elevation gain. Riders can expect windy conditions and numerous narrow roads throughout the race.
Alessandro Borgo and Alec Segaert will lead Bahrain Victorious in the event. Borgo showed strong form at last week’s Renewi Tour in Belgium, while the course suits Segaert perfectly as a specialist in late attacks.
Despite both riders making their Bretagne Classic debuts, they will be the squad’s protected leaders.
Matej Mohoric will take on the role of team captain, with Nikias Arndt, Kamil Gradek, Robert Stannard, and Edoardo Zambanini completing the Bahrain Victorious line-up of strong and experienced riders.
They have raced this demanding event several times, and will be tasked with supporting and positioning the team’s young leaders during its crucial stages.
The route features the Cote de Bon Repos (1.4km at eight per cent), Cote de Lezot (0.7km at 5.7 per cent), and Cote de Marta (1.6km at 5.6 per cent) on a 193km loop before the race enters the Plouay circuit for three laps of 16.6km.
The return of the Cote de Ty Marrec, which has not featured since 2019, adds another key challenge.
Meanwhile, the Rostervel climb, coming with around nine km to go, could play a decisive role in the finale.
With countless short climbs and consistently technical roads, positioning will be crucial.
In recent editions, the race has favoured riders with strong classics credentials, and the team expect another hard-fought battle in Brittany.
“The race itself offers plenty of opportunities to attack, and we can expect either a small group to fight for the win or a reduced bunch sprint,” said Bahrain Victorious’ sports director head Gorazd Stangelj.
“We have put together a strong and experienced team for this race, and we are ready for any scenario.”
“Alec is our specialist for attacking in the late finale, while Alessandro is our fastest guy in a bunch sprint. Robert and Edoardo will be ready to follow the earlier attacks in the final. Kamil and Nikias will be our support riders through the complicated middle part of the race, while Matej will guide the team perfectly.”
“Our goal is to finish in the top 10, but we are aiming for much more!”