The first Grand Tour of the season is underway in Italy, and will be four stages in when another 6-man TBV squad will start the 46th Tour de Hongrie on Wednesday.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Magyar race. This edition’s route spans five stages, covering a total of 875 kilometres and over 7,000 meters of elevation. The parcours includes three flat stages, one decisive semi-mountain stage that will shape the general classification, and a challenging finale that – while probably ending in a sprint – could still impact the GC standings.

For this centennial edition, our GC ambitions rest with Torstein Træen, who comes into race in strong form. He’ll rely on critical support in the hills from Max van der Meulen and Rainer Kepplinger, both of whom bring strength on mountainous terrain. On the flatter days, Phil Bauhaus will head up our sprinting challenge, guided  by lead-out Alberto Bruttomesso. Sergio Tu rounds out the line-up, providing versatile support across all stages.

Michal Golas, Sports Director, shares his expectations for the race:

“This year’s Tour de Hongrie offers several strong opportunities for Phil to contest bunch sprints. We anticipate at least three clear sprint finishes, and we’ll be fully committed to setting him up for a top result. Stage 5 may also end in a sprint, but it’s a complex stage with terrain that could favour breakaways, so we’ll remain flexible in our tactics.

Stage 3 is the key GC day, and it’s well-suited to Torstein’s strengths who has shown good form recently in France. We’ll be counting on Rainer and Max to support him in the decisive moments. Our target is a top-5 finish in the general classification, but we believe a podium is within reach.

The chemistry between Phil and Alberto will be essential on sprint days—they must stay perfectly synchronised in positioning and timing to capitalise on any opportunity. Max, with his versatility, will also contribute both in lead-outs and on the climbs. Sergio will take on a general support role, helping wherever needed.

With just six riders per team, controlling each stage will be a challenge, but the group is highly motivated. Our goals are clear: win a stage and fight for the top 5 in GC. If all goes well, we could find ourselves on the podium at the end of the week.”