Santiago Buitrago and Jack Haig lead Bahrain - Victorious at mountainous Tour of the Alps

Bahrain - Victorious is heading with numbers towards the Giro d'Italia, and some of it's cards will be warming up at the Tour of the Alps. Whilst Damiano Caruso and Gino Mäder take alternative approaches, Jack Haig and Santiago Buitrago ride the Tour of the Alps for some direct competition with some of their rivals for the Corsa Rosa.

Buitrago has finished third in the Saudi Tour and Vuelta a Andalucia earlier in the year, and has broken through the field last year, winning several races including a stage win at the Giro where he now hopes to deliver in the overall classification. Alongside him will be Jack Haig, The Australian finished third at the last Grand Tour he completed - the 2021 Vuelta a Espana. His form hasn't been flashy this year so far, but now it he comes close to his big goal of the season.

“Many of the riders on the startlist will most likely be at the Giro so there are some strong teams. We know that of the five stages, the first three will be GC days, and the other two more like breakaway stages. The climbs are steep and long, but there are many other things in the race to consider," team DS Gorazd Štangelj said in a press release.

“Our idea is for Jack and Santi to find some condition after coming back from altitude camp. We have Jack as leader and road captain, and Santiago as co-leader, even though the race might suit Santi better. But it’s not just about watts per kilo!" he explained. Hermann Pernsteiner, Jasha Sutterlin and Edoardo Zambanini join likely as part of the Giro block, with Nicolò Buratti concluding the lineup.

Bahrain - Victorious for Tour of the Alps:

Santiago Buitrago, Nicolò Buratti, Jack Haig, Hermann Pernsteiner, Jasha Sutterlin and Edoardo Zambanini.