As the 2024 Vuelta a España approaches, Bahrain Victorious are poised to tackle the last Grand Tour of the year. Following a strong performance at the Giro d’Italia, our team is ready to take on the rugged terrain, steep climbs, and relentless competition in the next 3 weeks all over Spain (and Portugal).

This year’s ‘La Vuelta’ starts in Portugal and finishes in Madrid, with 3,304 kilometres and over 52,000 vertical metres of climbing in between. The parcours of the 79th edition is a gruelling route that promises to test the mettle of even the most seasoned riders. Spanning 21 stages, the race will cover a diverse range of landscapes, from the flats of Portugal and Sierra Morena in week one, to the treacherous ascents of stage 9 at Sierra Nevada, multiple Cantabrian mountain top finishes in week 2 with stage 15 finishing at Cuitu Negru, and an equally demanding third week with three HC or category 1 mountain top finishes in Burgos and the Basque Country, only to finish with a decisive time trial in Madrid. As we already expect from La Vuelta, this climbing-heavy route demands versatility, endurance, and tactical nuance.

Leading the charge for Bahrain Victorious is Antonio Tiberi, a rising star known for his exceptional climbing ability and resilience. His 5th place and the White Jersey at this year’s Giro are proof that he’s deserving of the leader’s role at La Vuelta. Joining him are the experienced heads of Kamil Gradek, Jasha Sütterlin, Damiano Caruso, Torstein Træen and Jack Haig, as well as two younger riders: Fran Miholjević and Rainer Kepplinger. Supported by a formidable team, Tiberi will be aiming for a strong performance in both the overall and young riders’ classifications. The team will also look to seize opportunities for stage wins, particularly in the mountain stages and in breakaways.

Our lead Sports Director in Spain will be Neil Stephens, who is bullish ahead of Saturday’s ‘Gran Salida’: “We are starting out in Lisboa with a time trial. We are hoping to go well there with a couple different riders, especially Antonio. We circle through Portugal in the next two stages before going to Spain for stage 4. From there, we go down to the south of Spain, where we’ll get some hard, gruelling stages and extreme heat. We fly to Galicia for the first rest day, and it gets progressively tougher in the second and third weeks with a lot of difficult racing and mountaintop finishes, ending with the Picon Blanco. This is the most arduous stage and it happens to be the penultimate day. Then we travel down to Madrid for the final time trial. We will try to aim for the podium with Antonio Tiberi. He was in 5th in the Giro, and we are hoping for a little better at the Vuelta and get him into the top three. Along the way we won’t be just concentrating on Antonio; maybe we’ll go for the stage wins with him, but certainly we have a few other riders that will try their luck on the stage victories. As far as individual roles, Antonio is a team leader, young, up-and-coming rider, still developing, and he’ll still get better. Damiano Caruso had a quite serious injury last week at the Vuelta a Burgos. He seems to have recovered pretty well with the assistance from our medical team. He’s very important for us, not only for his physical talent, but also as a mentor and our road captain. The guys really look up to Damiano and respect him. Jack Haig, once again, a very crucial guy in mountain support. A few years ago he was on the GC podium as well, so he knows how to get there, and hopefully he can assist Antonio, especially in the high mountains. Torstein Træen is a first year developing rider with TBV; we hope he’ll be there for Antonio, especially in the mountains. Rainer Kepplinger is fairly new, but has surprised us with his strength. To say he’s mountain support would probably be wrong, but he’ll be good on the flat. He has a lot to develop and a lot to learn, so he’ll be doing that here too. Another rider that will have to develop is Fran Miholjević, a young guy. We always like to keep young guys in the team for the Grand Tours. Fran is a guy who has a lot to give, as he has been in the few years he’s been with us so far. So he’s here to learn from the guys and also to help them, but I think we’ll see a big step up with him at this Vuelta. Kamil Gradek is a big and very strong guy, and he’ll be another support for our leader. Last but not least, Jasha Sütterlin is a powerhouse. He was a bit doubtful after his Dauphiné injury, but he came back stronger and more motivated than before. I’m really looking forward to working with all those guys.”

Our leader Antonio Tiberi is confident about his approach: “This will be my third Vuelta and my first as captain. After this year’s Giro d’Italia, the ambitions are high, but it is also true that it is the first time that I will do two big tours in the same year. After a good training camp at altitude and the Vuelta a Burgos, which helped me get back into race rhythm, I feel that my condition is starting to be good. It will certainly be one of the hardest Vueltas of recent years thanks to the many meters of difference in altitude that there will be, but if the conditions are good, I will be able to take advantage of it. The team and the support of all my teammates will also be fundamental, and fortunately, I have seen them a lot ready and excited to give their best. I hope to be able to obtain similar or even better results than the Giro; certainly my commitment and that of the whole team will be the maximum.”