Bahrain Victorious are pleased to announce the signings of Andrea Pasqualon, Nikias Arndt, and Dušan Rajović from the 2023 season on multiple-year contracts.
The 24-year-old Dušan Rajović is debuting in the WorldTour. Despite his young age, he has already taken several victories as a professional rider, like two stages of the Tour of Qinghai Lake (in 2017 and 2018) and of the Vuelta Ciclista a Venezuela this season, plus a stage win at CRO Race (in 2019) and Tour of Antalya in 2022. The Serbian cyclist is a sprinter with excellent time-trial skills that brought him to become 3-time TT National Champion and 4-time Road National Champion, winning both titles in 2022.
Dušan Rajović is looking forward to competing with the best cyclists in the world: “I’m pleased and excited to be a part of the team next year. I’m looking forward to showing my best at the biggest races in cycling”.
Along with the promising young Serbian rider, Bahrain Victorious will add the experience with the Italian Andrea Pasqualon. The 34-year-old powerful sprinter has multiple victories in his Palmares: Circuit de Wallonie (2022), 2 stage wins and overall victory at the Tour of Luxembourg (2018), the GP Plumelec (2018) and Coppa Sabatini in 2017. This season, he also took dozens of podium results and top 20 placements in the Classics (Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix).
Andrea Pasqualon comments on signing for Bahrain Victorious: “I am thrilled to be part of this team for the next two seasons, especially as we are talking about one of the best teams in the world. I will bring my experience of these 12 years of professionalism, especially to the young riders who will become part of this project, but also fundamental support to the great champions who have been part of Bahrain Victorious for years. I will certainly be an important man both in terms of sprint and for the Northern Classics. I’d like to thank General Manager Milan Erzen for giving me this chance, and I will try to repay the trust with some great successes”.
The other experienced sprinter joining the team in 2023 is Nikias Arndt. The 30-year-old German cyclist is not only a fast finisher but also a reliable road captain and helper in the bunch sprint. In his career, he took Grand Tours victories at the Giro d’Italia (2016) and the Vuelta a Espana (2019), stage race wins at Tour de Pologne and Critérium du Dauphiné, and the one-day race Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. He was runner-up and 3rd several times in the Grand Tours stages, including the Tour de France.
Nikias Arndt on his move to Bahrain Victorious: “I’m looking forward to starting my journey with Bahrain Victorious in the next season. In my 10-year career as a pro cyclist, I gathered a lot of experience and can’t wait to use and further develop them with the team. I believe Bahrain Victorious will help me get the best out of myself. I’m also looking forward to working with my friend and soon teammate Phil Bauhaus as I think we can move a big step forward with the team.”
