The 2023 campaign has been a season of contrasting emotions for the Bahrain Victorious team.
In terms of results, the team prioritized quality over quantity when it came to wins, resulting in six Grand Tour stage wins and the UCI Gravel World Title. The consistency in stage races that has long been a hallmark of the team was achieved once again.
The magical Matej Mohoric led the way with a win and an outstanding performance, while Santiago Buitrago, Wout Poel, Jonathan Milan, Damiano Caruso and Pello Bilbao also made important contributions.
Mikel Landa and Milan left for pastures new in the off-season, but the team has not been able to recruit comparable players for the new season. Instead, they are looking for any last bit of success from their veteran line while focusing on developing young talent.
Of course, the entire season was overshadowed by the tragic death of Gino Maeder, who lost his life at just 26 years old in a crash at the Tour de Suisse in June.
GCN 2023 Review
Reviewing a team’s results after tragically losing one of its riders feels pointless and soulless, and Mader’s death leaves an indelible hole in the team to which he was such an important figure. There is no doubt that it remains.
His exuberance and attitude towards not just cycling but the world and environment around him is a blessing to our sport and the team, and more specifically the riders, to his teammates and the way he paid tribute to them. They deserve respect and consideration. Then went to the races for his honor. All three stage wins at the Tour de France in July were dedicated to Maeder by Pauls, Bilbao and Mohoric.
I don’t think Bahrain Victorious won big in 2023, with a relatively modest 20 wins, but they stood up in the biggest races and delivered. Not only did he take stage wins in all three Grand Tours, but the team’s consistency once again saw him finish inside the top ten overall in all three.
Outside of the Grand Tours, the team won positions and podiums at almost every turn, accumulating only 20 wins on the road, 12 of which were on the World Tour and one of which was a World Title. The only downside in terms of results is probably that the cobbled classics still haven’t found a replacement for Sonny Colbrelli. Mohoric remained consistent but was unable to improve on his third place at Coeurne-Brussels-Coeurne.
Milan and Bauhaus were victorious and the team returned home with the points jersey and overall team position at the Giro d’Italia.
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GCN Rating: 7.5/10
in & out
The team has not signed a proven winner or leading rider since the 2020 season and partnership with McLaren. In the years since, MO has been geared toward filling vacancies, finding bargains, or finding talent that is not yet well-established. Signing Jack Haig and Maeder in 2021 worked for that, but since then the team has only signed three riders from the WorldTour ranks, with the remaining new additions coming from lower divisions or the U23 ranks. It is coming.
This trend will continue until 2024, with only three new players joining the team. Finlay Pickering joins from Trinity Racing and looks like a promising talent with room to grow. At the same time, Thorstein Trane is also a solid all-rounder who finished eighth at the Critérium du Dauphiné and completed his first Grand Tour after recovering from cancer at this year’s Tour de France. Italian sprinter Alberto Bruttomesso has joined from the Continental team and will have plenty of chances to shine.
But overall, it was another overwhelming transfer period. The new players look especially average compared to the talent that left the team. Despite turning 34 later this month, Mikel Landa still racks up plenty of UCI points and finished fifth in this year’s Vuelta a España. Losing a veteran who never won in 2023 may not seem like a setback, but the Spaniard formed part of the team’s foundation in terms of stage race reliability.
Filip Maciejuk is a solid domestic signing from Bora-Hansgrohe and will be a big loss for Milan both in the short and long term. He is 23 years old and a proven Grand Tour stage winner. Although Heinrich Haussler was forced to put his career on hold and is past his best, he still showed great strength in the Spring Classic.
Where will victory come from for Bahrain Victorious in 2024?
Without major league sprinters or stage race superstars, it’s hard to see where a steady stream of wins will come from in 2024.
Instead, Bahrain Victorious will rely on the firepower of Mohoric, who led the team from January to October with seven wins last year. Bilbao will need to maintain its credibility at the Grand Tours and pick up a top-10 finish and some wins during the trip, but overall the team is hoping for a different collective approach from within the roster. Dew.
Fred Wright is set for a big win or two, but Pauls could also provide some fireworks if he can break in at the right time at the Grand Tour. Bauhaus will be hoping to convert their strong showing in the standings into more victories, but Buitrago, who has won Grand Tour stages in successive seasons and finished in the top 10 for the first time in three weeks, has become a real asset within the team. There is a possibility that
We don’t have a 10-win season rider on this team, but what we do have is depth and durability. It remains to be seen how long some of the team’s elder statesmen can keep it up, but Jack Haig is looking to rediscover the form that helped him take the podium at the Vuelta a few years ago, and there is still untapped potential. Gender remains.
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Winner of Bahrain” next breakout rider
Finlay Pickering, 20, looks like a real asset to the team. The British climber started the Groupama development program in 2022 and moved to Trinity Racing earlier this year, where the youngster has already achieved impressive results. palmares. A pure climber, he won a stage and overall at the 2022 Tour Alsace and will have plenty of sober experience at Bahrain Victorious to guide him into the WorldTour stage race.