All riders can realistically aim high at the overall classification but the road will decide which of them will be saved the most. The team can equally count on
Fred Wright and
Matej Mohoric to hunt for stage wins in the many hilly and mountainous stages that will arise.
“It’s 5 challenging stages. There isn’t really one big day with a hard summit finish, so it’s going to be a race where the time bonuses will be important. We’re coming with a very strong lineup," team DS Franco Pelizzoti said in a press release. "If you look at the names on paper, it’s a really top team. In Pello we have a leader who has just performed well at the Tour Down Under. Hopefully, jet lag and the change in temperature won’t affect him too much. He’s in good shape and has excellent riders around him, and stages 2 & 4 are ideally suited to his characteristics … so we are aiming to win.“
Bahrain - Victorious for Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana: Pello Bilbao, Damiano Caruso, Mikel Lands, Gino Mäder, Matej Mohoric, Wout Poels and Fred Wright.