Bahrain Victorious heads to Japan for its final race of 2026, with Antonio Tiberi leading the team at the Japan Cup on Sunday, October 18. The four-rider squad will look to finish the year with a strong performance in Utsunomiya.

The 144.2 kilometre race takes place around Utsunomiya Forest Park, with 14 laps of a 10.3 kilometre circuit. The Kogashi climb features on every lap and is the main difficulty of the course, offering opportunities for attacks and smaller groups to form as the race progresses.

Tiberi will lead the team’s ambitions, with Alessandro Borgo taking on the role of road captain and helping the squad through the opening part of the race. Attila Valter will also have an important role from the start, while Bálint Feldhoffer will support Tiberi as the race develops. The young Hungarian joins from the Development Team after several appearances alongside the WorldTour squad in the recent Italian races.

Antonio Tiberi is looking forward to his first visit to Japan:

“I’m really excited to race the Japan Cup for the first time. It will also be my first visit to Japan, somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. To finally have that opportunity and race there as well is something special, and I’m looking forward to the whole experience.

It’s my last race of the season, so I’d really like to finish the year with a strong performance. We’re going with a small team, so we’ll need to read the race well and make the most of our chances when the right moment comes. We’ll give our best and hopefully enjoy a great final race of the year.”

Sports Director Franco Pellizotti added:

“It has been a good year for us. Perhaps we haven’t had as many victories as we would have liked, but we have achieved a lot of great results.

With the Tour of Guangxi taking place at the same time, and several riders injured or ill, it has been difficult to manage this final part of the season. We are going to Japan with only four riders, but I have spoken with all of them and they are focused. I have asked for maximum commitment from everyone. In the end, it only takes one rider to achieve a great result.

Antonio is not at 100%, but he is still Antonio. I believe he can ride a great race and achieve something good.”

Pellizotti also spoke about the other three riders making the trip to Japan:

“Bálint is really motivated to race with us and excited about going to Japan. He has already ridden some good races with the team in Italy towards the end of the season. I expect him to be there with Antonio when the race gets harder, and why not achieve a good result himself as well?.

The course may be a little too hard for Alessandro, but he is always motivated and ready to fight. Attila was the last rider to join the lineup. He is not in his best shape, but he is motivated to help.

The level will be very high, with five other WorldTour teams and two strong ProTeams in Cofidis and Tudor. We need to race intelligently and make the most of our chances. I hope we can come home with a great result, and I’m confident we can.”