CONFIRMED: Bahrain-Victorious sign versatile Belgian rider after breakthrough Tour de France and surprise one-day race victory
CyclingMonday, 31 August 2026 at 13:57
Bahrain-Victorious have made a big transfer market move to sign Liam Slock on a two year deal, meaning he'll ride with the team until the end of the 2028 season. The Belgian brings versatility to the squad with pedigree in Grand Tours, time trials and one-day races.
Turning professional in 2023, Slock has gradually risen through the ranks to become a rider renowned for his powerful engine and ability to make it into breakaways. He made headlines for his long solo breakaway on stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France, only being caught by the sprinters with just over one kilometer to go.
It wasn't the first time he caught the cycling world's attention this summer, however. He won GP Gippingen in June, beating big name riders like Richard Carapaz and Aleksandr Vlasov to the line in a memorable sprint to the line, notably suffering a crash as he crossed over the line.
Taking a new step in his career, Slock is excited to hit the ground running as he revealed his ambition to focus on the classics in 2027.
“This is a new step in my career, and I am immensely looking forward to developing further in this new environment at Bahrain Victorious," Slock said in the team announcement.
Liam Slock crashed as he won GP Gippingen
Slock takes next step in career
"I am motivated to bring my experience and qualities and to strengthen the Classics group of the team."
Looking back on his development at Lotto, Slock is grateful for six years at the Belgian team that saw him make his key breakthrough this season.
“At the same time, I want to thank Lotto for the past six years. I learned a huge amount there, was given great opportunities, and grew both as a rider and as a person. I am grateful for the people and experiences I take with me from this period, and I look forward with confidence to what the future brings.”
Spring classics a big goal for team
For Bahrain, Slock's arrival boosts their Spring Classics line-up as they see potential for the 25-year-old to further improve and bring more depth in their bid to compete at a higher level in those races.
“We are very happy to add a powerful rider like Liam to our roster. He is a valuable addition who brings strength to all areas of our race programme, from one day races to stage races," Performance Manager Rod Ellingworth said.
“His arrival is part of Bahrain Victorious’ continued effort to strengthen our core engine for stage races and the Spring Classics. We believe Liam has the qualities and mentality to play an important role in our team and we are looking forward to seeing him develop further with us.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- if I don’t know someone personally, how can I not use their professional career as the primary guiding point for my thoughts about them. especially when their career is center stage for all of us to see.mij31-08-2026
- This one was really pure luck. With Jonas at the Tour, some blame can be put onto Visma, especially Campenaerts, who was leading, for taking the corner so aggressively. Especially when corners are not "suited" to Vingegaard
Rafionain-Glas31-08-2026 - I don’t think one can just jump on a bike with that short of notice and win. Pidcock has ridden and won world cup races every single year. he has kept up with the sport far better than MVDP.mij31-08-2026
- agreed.mij31-08-2026
- MVDP has barely battled Pidcock. He used to battle nino schurter, a bit.mij31-08-2026
- he isn’t a loser on his road bike or cross bike, but I think by his own standards he would call himself a loser on the mountain bike. he races to win, not get in the 30’s. if you want to play the participation trophy game I’ll give him a gold star for showing up, but I won’t call him a winner on the mountain bike. I can’t, because he isn’t winning. and in competition and championships that are your goal, if you don’t win, you lose.mij31-08-2026
- yes, I would have said the same thing. and I love MVDP. he is one of my faves. I’ve seen him win mountain bike races - his win against Nino Schurter was amazing - in 2019. but those were different times and different courses. the sport has changed so much since then, the bikes have changed considerably. for example MVDP was a very late adopter to the dropper post, likely because he had not kept up with the technical nature of the courses and riding styles. no dropper almost means no win on these new courses - new since 2019. so I was very pleasantly surprised he did so well, but I would argue last week was the exception, not the norm, to what his results would be. and it was the week before a world championship. for everyone the goal was this weekend. most riders saw it as a final tune up not their current goal. I think he could be a winner again on the mtb, but it would take more dedication to the discipline. good for him for trying though.mij31-08-2026
- excellent point.mij31-08-2026
- it isn’t arrogant to try. read what I said. I applaud his attempt. I think it is arrogant and disrespectful to the sport to think you can jump right in with 2 weeks of riding and win. The amount of work the other riders put in is ridiculous. And taking a podium the week before a world championship is far different. everyone ups their game for the WC.mij31-08-2026
- Crazy take. Tadej was drinking from his bottle so had one of his hands off the handlebar. Really down to bad luck rather than loss of focus.Pogboom31-08-2026
Loading
Write a comment