Bahrain Victorious line up to race the 2026 edition of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, scheduled from 4 to 8 February, as the team continues its early season European programme. The team returns to the race following a successful 2025 edition, when Santiago Buitrago claimed overall victory.

This time Antonio Tiberi leads the seven rider line up with a focus on the general classification. Damiano Caruso will provide valuable experience as road captain, alongside Nikias Arndt, bringing leadership and structure across the flatter and transitional stages. Matevž Govekar will target sprint opportunities, while Alberto Bruttomesso and Mathijs Paasschens will play key supporting roles in positioning and race control.

Bálint Feldhoffer, the young Hungarian who stepped up from the development squad to race the Classica Morvedre and GP Castellón, is now making his first appearance with the WorldTour squad in a stage race.

The five day race covers 601.7 kilometres with approximately 7,720 metres of climbing and includes sprint stages, an individual time trial, a mountain stage and a mid mountain finale. Stage four, the queen stage, features more than 3,200 metres of elevation gain and is expected to be decisive for the general classification. Held early in the European calendar, the event provides a demanding test across varied terrain and consecutive days of racing.

The team will place particular emphasis on the individual time trial on stage two, which is expected to play an important role in shaping the general classification, while remaining attentive to opportunities across the later part of the race on stages three, four and five.

Antonio Tiberi said:
“My feeling ahead of Valenciana is quite good. After the first race of the season, where I finished third, I felt really strong, even better than I expected. Now I’m curious to see what I can do in the first stage race of the year.

It will also be my first time racing the time trial bike this season, which is something I’m looking forward to, and it’s nice to start this race together with Damiano and the rest of the team in the new jersey. The sensations are good, the shape feels right, and I’m motivated to show myself during the week.”

Sports Director Roman Kreuziger added:
“This will be our first stage race of the season in Europe, and it’s good to return to roads we know well from training camp. Antonio showed in Morvedre that he is in good shape, and with the individual time trial on stage two he has a real opportunity to deliver a strong result in the general classification.

Damiano will play a key role as road captain, supporting Antonio through the week. Nikias brings experience on the sprint stages and helps maintain structure, while stage four will be decisive. With five days of consecutive racing, consistency and recovery will be important. Our objective is to stay competitive throughout the race and target a top five result.”