"We were limited with the budget. That was the reason why we didn’t sign him again" - Mikel Landa's Bahrain - Victorious departure down to financial limitations

Mikel Landa will take his 'Landismo' style of racing to Soudal - Quick-Step in 2024, ending a four-year stint with the Bahrain - Victorious team. Bahrain boss Milan Erzen however, sends Landa off with his best regards.

Despite always being keen to keep the now 34-year-old Spaniard for the coming season, Erzen has recently admitted in conversation with GCN that financial restrictions in the budget of the Bahrain - Victorious team, meant that Landa staying put was always an unlikely prospect.

“We talked with Mikel in January 2023 and he knows that we were limited with the budget," Erzen begins. "That was the reason why we didn’t sign him again. He showed a really amazing season and he’s still got huge potential for the top rankings in the Grand Tours in the future. He’s an amazing guy and an amazing rider but that’s the business of cycling. Sometimes you lose something and sometimes you get something."

In fact, Bahrain - Victorious didn't sign a single World Tour rider over the transfer window. Nevertheless, Erzen is optimistic for the future. "I think we’ve got a really good team for the future with young guys,” he says positively. “We need to understand that the richest teams have more chance of getting the younger riders, but for me, it’s always a challenge to work with some of the guys who didn’t win big races in the junior categories. We can take a different approach and then take them to a higher level.”

"It’s not always about the money but you can invest in different ways with staff and training that can improve performance. I sometimes say that we’re the best of the rest because when we compare our budget and results we’re the best investment in cycling," he concludes.

“Our way is to create riders from the young guys who have two or three years to learn. We want to create a circle of production from our development team so that in one or two years we’ll have one or two really good riders from the young ranks. We give the young guys the same materials, and coaches as the WorldTour team.”