"The strength of our team as a unit will be key" - 2025 has to be better for Bahrain - Victorious and Matej Mohoric
Cycling
Bahrain - Victorious endured a disappointing 2024 season,
struggling to compensate for Jonathan Milan’s departure. They dropped six
places in the UCI WorldTour rankings, winning only 13 races, finishing ahead of
only Astana, Cofidis, and Arkéa. The team knows that in 2025, it has to be
better.
IDLProCycling recently spoke to Aart Vierhouten, who joined
Bahrain Victorious as a sports director after working with Q36.5 Pro Cycling
Team. "We have 12 riders for the classics, and we’ll mix and match our
line ups," says the Dutch sports director.
"We have a fantastic team villa for the classics,
located somewhere between Waregem and Kortrijk. It allows us to stay together
as a family and create a relaxed atmosphere. And that brings peace of
mind." Vierhouten believes that team selection for key races will happen
naturally and based on performance.
"The selection for the Tour of Flanders or
Paris-Roubaix takes shape naturally. It just happens, those who are in form
will rise to the occasion," he explains, highlighting the importance of
balancing youth with experience. "It’s also up to us to mix the younger
generation with the more experienced riders."
Vierhouten is particularly excited about the team’s rising
talent. "For example, we have Zak Erzen, a 19-year-old talent. These are
exciting surprises, especially when you see how eager he is. But we also know
that racing in Belgium is tougher than what they’ve experienced so far—and
their teammates warn them too: ‘Just wait until you get there.’
"We approach it
with confidence, and we’ll enter races like Nokere Koerse and Le Samyn with a
young squad, purely to gain experience for the bigger races ahead."
Matej Mohoric will be central to the team’s ambitions after
missing much of last year’s spring campaign due to a crash. "He knows
everything, so you have to be well-prepared. That’s a real challenge,"
Vierhouten says, expressing admiration for the Slovenian.
"We’ve already
had several discussions about his ambitions, and now his dreams are in my head
too. We’re working hard on them, and we need to keep them alive, that’s why we
stay in close contact."
Mohorič has set his sights on winning either the Tour of
Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. "But we also have a Mathieu van der Poel, a
Tadej Pogacar, and Wout van Aert is still dreaming as well. So we’ll need to be
smart because we know our position in the field. The strength of our team as a
unit will be key."
The Slovenian leader remains a key figure within the squad,
inspiring those around him. "Matej is an anchor for everyone, and the team
rallies around him. They see that there are opportunities. They train with him
and witness firsthand how hard he works. That motivates everyone else as well.
When there’s a gap to close, everyone knows exactly who they’re doing it for, someone
who has already won a Monument, like he did with Milano-Sanremo."
However, Mohorič’s 2024 season was hampered by injuries that
were worse than initially thought. "Last year, he struggled with injuries
after a crash. He tried to come back too soon, and in the end, it turned out
more was broken than he initially thought.
"That set him back even further. When
you want to win so badly, you sometimes make the same mistakes that every top
athlete makes. That’s why he didn’t perform at his best last season."
To help him reset mentally, the team encouraged Mohorič to
step away from road racing at the end of the season. "We told him to go
gravel racing, do different things. Just to clear his head, because that’s
crucial as we head into the spring classics."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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