| SEASON OPENER AT SAUDI TOUR |
Fred Wright and Santiago Buitrago lead the lineup at the 2nd edition of the Saudi Tour, kicking off the 2022 season for Bahrain Victorious. |
| Olympic champion, and World Record holder in Track team pursuit, Jonathan Milan will be fighting out the sprints for the 3 flat stages, with the help of the experienced Jasha Sütterlin. Ahmed Madan starts his season close to home while Polish riders, Gradek and Maciejuk will both debut for the team. |
| The Northwest region of Al Ula and its stunning landmarks will be the host of this years’ 5 stage race over 831 km. After winning the race in 2020 with our sprinter Phil Bauhaus, this edition is unlikely to see a sprinter win the overall with the inclusion of two demanding hilly stages. |
| Stages 1, 3 and 5 will probably be decided by bunch sprint unless crosswinds break the peloton. Being on the front of the peloton as a team will be crucial in those stages. Stage 2 is hilly with slight climb in the last 2 km that could reduce the peloton, while stage 4 will decide the GC with a 4km long climb at 9% avg. towards the end of the stage with last kilometer averaging a 16% incline. |
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| Sports Director Franco Pellizotti: “We are ready to return to Saudi after 2 years when we were victorious. We have big expectations for this year as all riders are in good condition. Jonathan Milan will be our sprinter, while for the GC we will go with Santiago Buitrago and Fred Wright. We expect a lot of crosswind and in those situations, we need smart riders to navigate our team. All other rider will help our leaders. Being Bahraini, this is important race for Ahmed Madan. He’s in good condition after training camp and improved a lot in the last year.” |
| Fred Wright: “I can’t wait to start the season in Saudi it was a great experience being part of the team there two years ago. We have a strong group here and we’ve all put the hard work in on camp so I’m hoping for some good results.” |
| Ahmed Madan: “I’m feeling very excited to race Saudi tour, I have been preparing since December with the team in Altea training camp and I had another training camp in January, I’m ready to support my team mates and hopefully win some stages. It’s always special feeling to be racing so close to home with the race coars being almost what I’m used to in the training and having home fans is amazing” |
