End of an era: Bahrain Victorious and Merida part ways after nine years

In today's peloton there are several brands of bikes: Colnago, Specialized, Canyon, Pinarello... and Merida Bikes as a co-sponsor of the Bahrain Victorious team, at least until this year. However, the long relationship between them has come to an end, and Bahrain has found a new partner in the Italian brand Bianchi, according to rumors.

The two joined forces at the team's inception in 2017, with the Taiwanese bike manufacturer lending its name as Bahrain-Merida. While the team name evolved - first to Bahrain McLaren in 2020 and then to Bahrain Victorious in 2021 - they continued to ride Merida bikes with notable success.

“Merida are more than just partners - they are lifelong friends. They have been part of the family from the very beginning and played an integral role in all of our success. We say goodbye to a great partner who we will be racing against in the near future and who will no doubt continue to find success on the road. From all of us at Bahrain Victorious, it is a huge pleasure and a massive thanks to them,” said Milan Eržen, Managing Director of Bahrain Victorious, in an official statement released by the team.

Merida began manufacturing for other brands before expanding with its own line. Today it operates plants in China, Taiwan and Germany, each with a corresponding R&D center. In fact, prior to its partnership with Bahrain Victorious, it had already had a presence in top-flight cycling between 2014 and 2016 with Lampre-Merida (currently UAE Team Emirates - XRG).

The end of this partenrship means no professional team will ride Merida bikes in 2026. In case reports about Bahrain riding Bianchi bikes turn out to be true, they will be the only professional team using them, as Arkéa - B&B Hotels has been dissolved due to lack of funding.

Among the milestones of this partnership, two Monuments conquered by Vincenzo Nibali stand out: his victory in Il Lombardia 2017 and the remembered solo effort in Milano-Sanremo 2018, where he surprised the sprinters in an era in which there were still no aliens able to make the difference in Poggio and Cipressa.

The latter was also the scene of the daring descent that allowed Matej Mohoric to obtain the biggest win of his career in 2022. And cannot forget either Sonny Colbrelli's epic victory at Paris-Roubaix 2021, which was also his last professional win of the 34 he got.