With the UAE Tour and Volta ao Algarve already underway this week, Bahrain Victorious are set to make a first appearance at two recently renewed French races: Classic Var (1.1) on Friday, February 21, and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (2.1), a two-day race on February 22nd & 23rd. Both events take place in the départment of Var in the South of France.
The Classic Var will kick off in Le Luc – Circuit du Var and conclude after 163 km in Fayence, featuring a revamped course. The first half consists of rolling terrain, while the second half becomes increasingly demanding, culminating in a brutal 1 km uphill finish which averages 11.2%, but has a maximum gradient of 20%.
The one-day race will be especially significant as the line-up includes Lenny Martinez, who claimed victory on Mont Faron in the first edition of the event last year.
“I’m really happy to return to this race, this time with Bahrain Victorious. Last year, I won with a different jersey, and therefore now I’m excited to be part of the team’s debut here. Although the parcours has changed—it’s now a 5-minute final climb instead of 20 when I took the victory—but we have a strong squad. Santiago [Buitrago] and I, along with other teammates, have good cards to play. We’ll do our best and aim for a great result.”
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Roman Kreuziger believes this will be a good challenge for Martinez, and is confident in the potential opportunities for the team:
“It’s Lenny’s first race on home soil with his new team, and I know he’s eager to perform well. The final is completely different from last year, and it may actually suit someone like Buitrago better. Fortunately, we have both Lenny and Santiago racing together, which gives us great options. We’re also bringing a young but competitive squad, led on the road by the experience Jack Haig as captain. Our two rookies, [Roman] Ermakov and [Oli] Stockwell, showed promising form in Provence, while [Edoardo] Zambanini displayed excellent teamwork in Valenciana. [Finlay] Pickering, after his season debut at GP Castellon, is also eager to race. With last year’s winner in our lineup, we know the peloton will keep a close eye on us.”
While Classic Var features a redesigned route, the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes retains a similar parcours to last year. On Stage 1 (Contes – Gourdon, 162.4 km) riders will face a mountain-top finish, with key ascents including Col Saint-Roch, Lucéram, and Col de Châteauneuf – totaling 3.308m of altitude gain.
Stage 2 (Villefranche-sur-Mer – Vence, 131.8 km) is shorter but intense, starting with the Col d’Eze, followed by Col de Châteauneuf. The winner could be decided in a reduced bunch sprint after a late battle on the ascents of la Sine.
Kreuziger sees the race as an important test ahead of key dates to come:
“The parcours is tough, especially stage 1 that is particularly demanding. However, it really suits our riders’ characteristics. The second stage, though shorter and with less altitude, remains tricky. We won’t just control the race – we’ll have to be active and shape it to our advantage. This is a crucial step in our season, and we aim to perform at our best.”
