While the second week of La Vuelta a España is unfolding, another group of Bahrain Victorious riders is set to begin a five-race block in Italy this Sunday, September 6, with the GP Industria & Artigianato (UCI 1.Pro) in Larciano, Tuscany.

Bahrain Victorious returns to a race where it has lined up four times, taking victory with Matej Mohorič in 2018 and a podium finish with Mikel Landa in 2021, when the team last participated.

The 2026 lineup features just one rider with previous experience in Larciano: Antonio Tiberi, who raced the event in 2021 and returned in 2022, finishing eighth. The Italian will be one of the riders to watch alongside Lenny Martinez, with both returning to competition after a long break following the Tour de France.

“We have two protected riders for this race, Lenny and Antonio. It’s their first race back after the Tour de France, and it will be the same for many other riders, so we will see how they respond in a demanding one-day race like this,” Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Roman Kreuziger explains. “I think we have to be realistic with our goal of trying to finish in the top five, while also giving our other riders the opportunity to achieve a good result.”

“As support, we have Kamil Gradek, who we know we can really rely on, as he has shown throughout the season. Fran Miholjević showed recently at the Deutschland Tour that he is in good shape and will act as road captain, with particular responsibility for positioning the team ahead of the first passage of the San Baronto climb.

“Rainer Kepplinger also showed in Germany that he is in good condition, and I think this race suits him pretty well. Alongside Max van der Meulen, they will also be ready to join the early breakaway if the opportunity comes. Max now seems recovered and back on track, so we are happy to have him here and will see if we can get the best out of him to support our leaders.

“Completing the lineup is Bálint Feldhoffer, stepping up from the Bahrain Victorious Development Team. He recently competed at the Tour de l’Avenir and has already joined the WorldTour squad earlier this season, racing at the Valenciana. He has also shown in other races with the Development Team that he can support his teammates well, so we are very happy to give this young rider another opportunity.”

The lineup is particularly suited to the climbing demands of the Gran Premio Industria & Artigianato Larciano, which features classic punchy Tuscan terrain. The 48th edition retains the traditional overall distance of 196.5 kilometres and 2,513 metres of elevation gain, with both the start and finish in Larciano, but introduces a change to the final circuit. Instead of finishing after repeated laps of the traditional San Baronto circuit, the 2026 edition will conclude with a brand-new 17.8-kilometre final lap, the “Giro Cecina.” The traditional San Baronto remains at the heart of the race, with four laps featuring the classic ascent via Fornello towards San Baronto. After the final lap of the Fornello circuit, just over 17 kilometres remain, but the race will still have one decisive challenge ahead: the new “Giro Cecina”. Its key feature is the new climb of Mungherino, where the riders will face steep double-digit. The summit comes around 8 kilometres from the finish, followed by a fast descent towards the finish in Larciano.

“The character of the course is the same as in the past: it is very fast initially, especially in the first 80 kilometres, although it is not completely flat as there are some short climbs,” Kreuziger explains. “Then, of course, we have San Baronto four times from one side, followed by the new final climb on narrow and quite steep roads. From the top, it is around eight kilometres to the finish, with a descent that the guys know from before.

“For us, this is the first race back, so we will understand much more after Sunday. Based on the coaches’ reports, we are confident that the riders are in a good place, and we are actually looking forward to these races.

“It is good for the guys to combine their training with some intensity in racing, but once we pin on the number, we don’t want to just participate. We want to be competitive. Hopefully, we can fight for a podium on Sunday as well. As I said, the goal is a top-five finish, but if we can do better, we will always aim for it. That would be very nice.”