CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious have another group of riders set to begin a five-race block in Italy today, with the GP Industria and Artigianato in Larciano, Tuscany, as the second week of La Vuelta a Espana nears its close today.
The kingdom’s squad return to the one-day event where it has lined up four times in the past, taking victory with Matej Mohoric in 2018 and a podium finish with Mikel Landa in 2021, when the team last participated.
The 2026 line-up features just one rider with previous experience in Larciano – Antonio Tiberi, who raced the event in 2021 and returned in 2022, finishing eighth.
The Italian will be one of the riders to watch alongside Lenny Martinez, with both returning to competition after a long break following the Tour de France.
“We have two protected riders for this race, Lenny and Antonio – it’s their first race back after the Tour de France, and it will be the same for many other riders, so we will see how they respond in a demanding one-day race like this,” explained Bahrain Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger explained.
“I think we have to be realistic with our goal of trying to finish in the top five, while also giving our other riders the opportunity to achieve a good result.
“As support, we have Kamil Gradek, who we know we can really rely on, as he has shown throughout the season. Fran Miholjevic showed recently at the Deutschland Tour that he is in good shape and will act as road captain, with particular responsibility for positioning the team ahead of the first passage of the San Baronto climb.
“Rainer Kepplinger also showed in Germany that he is in good condition, and I think this race suits him pretty well. Alongside Max van der Meulen, they will also be ready to join the early breakaway if the opportunity comes. Max now seems recovered and back on track, so we are happy to have him here and will see if we can get the best out of him to support our leaders.
“Completing the lineup is Balint Feldhoffer, stepping up from the Bahrain Victorious Development Team. He recently competed at the Tour de l’Avenir and has already joined the WorldTour squad earlier this season, racing at the Valenciana. He has also shown in other races with the development team that he can support his teammates well, so we are very happy to give this young rider another opportunity.”
The line-up is particularly suited to the climbing demands of the Gran Premio Industria and Artigianato Larciano, which features classic punchy Tuscan terrain.
The 48th edition retains the traditional overall distance of 196.5 kilometres and 2,513 metres of elevation gain, with both the start and finish in Larciano.