Bahrain Victorious is pleased to announce two development teams from 2023. Cycling Team Friuli (“CTF”) and Cannibal U19 International Development Team will officially partner with Bahrain Victorious and its technical partners to develop and utilise the team’s expertise and equipment, giving young talented riders a clear pathway to the WorldTour.

Born in Udine in 2005, Cycling Team Friuli was built to support youth through the sport of cycling. Their localised approach in the early years paved the way for CTF to become a formidable team for developing European talent in the cycling world. Since 2019, CTF has been a UCI Continental Team and, in 2020, was crowned the best Continental team in Italy. Bahrain Victorious have already signed the 20-year-old Croatian National ITT Champion Fran Miholjević, who took an impressive stage win at the Giro di Sicilia this year. This is the second rider Bahrain Victorious has signed from CTF as Jonathan Milan moved up to the World Tour in 2021, which is a testament to CTF’s work in developing their young talent.

Cannibal U19 International Team started with a group of 15 eight-year-old boys riding over ten years, with six of them stepping up to pro continental next season. The Belgian-based club, named after cycling hero Eddy Merckx, has been operating for ten years, working with the best young riders worldwide. The team have several victories to their name, most notably winning the Aubel-Thister-Stavelot GC this season. The collaboration with Bahrain Victorious is the next step to give these youngsters the right platform for their future prospects in achieving their dream of racing in the WorldTour.

Bahrain Victorious has been working on youth development in cycling with the formation of the Bahrain Cycling Academy in 2020, which develops local riders in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The addition of CTF and Cannibal will help create a clear path for young talented cyclists worldwide looking to fulfil their potential and compete in the WorldTour.

Managing Director Milan Erzen: “We are creating an eco-system that helps inspire and develop the best young riders from an earlier age to achieve their ambitions. CTF and Cannibal Team have already established excellent infrastructures over time, which is evident by their talented riders and results.

Our support will help CTF and Cannibal take it to the next level and be competitive in a growing competitive space with the help of our technical partners such as Merida Bikes, Alé and Rudy Project. We hope our team’s support will help them prepare for the WorldTour.”