Bahrain Victorious set for Canadian races

TDT | Manama                          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Victorious professional cycling team will field a seven-rider squad in both the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal in Canada this weekend. The two events are part of the 2022 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Tour, with Canada being the penultimate stop on the calendar. It will be the 11th time both races are being held. Bahrain Victorious were on the podium in Montreal in 2018 with Sonny Colbrelli, and a year later with Ivan Cortina.

This year, Pello Bilbao will lead the line-up off the back of an impressive Deutschland Tour, where he finished runner-up in the general classification and took the final stage win. He will be taking on some of cycling’s biggest stars alongside teammates Damiano Caruso, Matevz Govekar, Jonathan Milan, Matej Mohoric, Hermann Pernsteiner and Jan Tratnik. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec features a city circuit of 16 laps that will see riders climb 2,976 vertical metres over the 201km route.

Two days later, Montreal hosts the second of the races, which provides a tougher test with 4,842 vertical metres over the 221km course, consisting of 18 laps of a 12.3km circuit. Bahrain Victorious sports director Neil Stephens commented: “It’s a very exciting group going to the Canada races. “Firstly, it’s Quebec, a very punchy race with shorter but hard climbs, which always comes down to a select sprint group, and Montreal with more meters of climbing which should be a harder race. We are going to those races with a mixture of young and experienced riders.”

Meanwhile, Bahrain Victorious rider Fred Wright claimed first place on the points ranking yesterday after the 160km 17th stage in the 2022 Vuelta a Espana. His finish helped him solidify his place in second on the points’ general ranking with four stages to go. Teammate Gino Mader improved to seventh on the youth general ranking, where Bahrain Victorious’ Edoardo Zambanini dropped to ninth. Bahrain Victorious also improved to fifth on the teams’ general ranking after stage 17. The 18th stage will be held today, and it will be a 191.7km mountainous leg.