Bahrain Victorious riders delivered strong performances today at both races in which the team is competing. At the opening stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, Afonso Eulálio claimed an impressive third, with Damiano Caruso fifth. Meanwhile in Poland, Antonio Tiberi sprinted to fourth on stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne on a demanding uphill finale.
The Vuelta a Burgos kicked off with 204.6 km from Olmillos de Sasamón to Burgos (Castillo), the longest day of this edition. It set the tone for a challenging week on Spain’s undulating terrain. The finish was a sharp ramp to the Castillo de Burgos (900 meters at 5%), where Santiago Buitrago triumphed in 2022.
The race was animated by a 6-man breakaway, including Dries De Bondt (DAT) and Carlos Garcia Pierna (BBH), who managed to stay out longer than the others and were caught at 15 km from the finish. Shortly after, Samuel Fernandez (CJR) launched a solo attack, but his effort was neutralised precisely as the peloton hit the final climb, with just 500 metres to go.
Roger Adrià (RBH) and Jordan Labrosse (DAT) opened the sprint, while behind them, a crash involving Isaac Del Toro (UAD) and Giulio Ciccone (LTK) disrupted the chasing group. This allowed Adrià and Labrosse to contest the win, with the Spaniard taking victory and the first leader’s jersey.
Afonso Eulálio, making his debut at the Vuelta a Burgos, crossed the line in third place, four seconds behind the front duo, with Damiano Caruso two places further back. Reflecting on his result, the 23-year-old Portuguese rider said: “It’s great to return to competition with a strong result, especially after the team placed their trust in me for this race and after all the hard work at the altitude training camp. I hope to keep this momentum going in the next stages.”
Sports Director Neil Stephens was pleased with the team’s execution and highlighted the collective effort: “Today we aimed to protect Damiano and position him well into the final kilometre, but we also told the guys to stay alert for any tactical opportunities that wouldn’t compromise our main goal. The team rode aggressively, trying to exploit the crosswinds, but when it became clear it wouldn’t split, we focused on setting up for the finale. The guys did a great job bringing both Damiano and Afonso into the climb in a perfect position. They were fortunate to avoid the crash in the final metres and capitalised on it to finish third and fifth. It’s a great result, putting both riders high in the GC, and a very positive start for us at Burgos.”
Almost simultaneously in Poland, Antonio Tiberi secured fourth place in the uphill sprint on stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne (Hotel Gołębiewski Karpacz – Karpacz, 149.4 km). The closing punchy final climb had a gradient of 8.2% in the last kilometre, where a late attack from Paul Lapeira (DAT) proved decisive, as he crossed the line a couple of seconds ahead of Mathias Vacek (LTK in second and Victor Langellotti (IGD) in third. Tiberi followed closely, moving up to fifth in the overall, now just 12 seconds off the lead held by Lapeira.
After the stage, Tiberi had mixed feelings post-stage: “I had good legs, although similar to San Sebastián [3 days ago], I struggled with cramps and muscle fatigue in the final 15-20 km. I wasn’t sure how I’d handle the finish, but I managed to find a good rhythm during the day and recovered well. On the last climb, I was at my limit but had decent sensations and gave everything to the line. The final 10 km were chaotic — it was difficult to move up, the pace was high, and the roads were tricky. With the Vuelta a España approaching, I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.”
