"They are not all riders like Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar" - New Bahrain DS ready to grow team from it's base

Formerly part of other World Tour teams such as UAE Team Emirates and Team Qhubeka NextHash, Bahrain - Victorious have signed DS Aart Vierhouten. The Dutch veteran in the peloton is taking on the role of leading a team looking to feature among the best, and develop a new generation that they hope to see win races in the future despite the team's limited budget in comparison to other top teams.

“I am particularly attracted to the philosophy with which Bahrain Victorious wants to work in the coming years," Vierhouten told Wielerflits. “I am indeed going to focus mainly on the so-called classic core. In the Grand Tours and the classics, the team wants to make progress in the coming years. Matej Mohoric and Fred Wright are men who have already proven themselves in the classics. However, we also saw last year that they wanted far too much and made too few choices. In the future, there will have to be more balance in their program". 

Vierhouten is going to be part of a team with Mohoric and Wright in the lead of the classics block, Phil Bauhaus as the head sprinter and a wide variety of climbers - who will split ambitions between Grand Tours, one-week stage-races and also the classics. There have been, so far, nine signings this winter and only one rider is older than 23 years of age.

Vierhouten is aware that the team's budget limits the riders it can bring in against rival teams who seek the same riders, however there is a bet on youth and a new generation and he hopes he can help them rise to a strong level in the peloton: “They are not all riders like Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar who are there right from their first race with the pros. There are also talents who still have to grow for a few years. That awareness is certainly there in this team.”