"Our ambitions are high" - Strong Bahrain - Victorious head to the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana with Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitago, Lenny Martinez & Jack Haig

The upcoming Volta a Comunitat Valenciana will see a number of notable names kicking off their 2025 campaign. For Bahrain - Victorious, the Spanish stage race seems a real early season target as they send a climbing block with considerable strength in depth.

“I believe the General Classification could be decided on the very first day," previews Bahrain - Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger in a press release on the team's official website. "The opening team time trial is quite complicated, featuring a long route that will create significant time gaps. The key is to perform well there and be ready for stage 2 which might decide this edition."

Although the strength in numbers could potentially see the team hedging their bets with multiple leaders, Kreuziger also insists that there is a set hierarchy in place within Bahrain - Victorious at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. "We can rely on Santiago Buitrago, who has already demonstrated strong form. He is our leader for Valenciana, alongside Lenny Martinez. Additionally, we have an experienced road captain in Pello Bilbao, who is in great shape and excited to begin his season," the 38-year-old Czech DS explains. "Stages 3 and 4 will likely suit breakaways, and our riders could feature in those moves, depending on the race’s early GC developments. The final stage is usually for the sprinters, but the risk of echelons and narrow roads means we must stay vigilant until the very end.”

“We have a competitive squad full of climbers, and our ambitions are high," concludes Kreuziger with a mix of determination and expectation. "Hopefully, we can replicate last year’s success (Buitrago finished 2nd on GC behind Brandon McNulty ed.).”

Pello Bilbao
Santiago Buitrago
Lenny Martinez
Jack Haig
Rainer Kepplinger
Kamil Gradek
Edoardo Zambanini