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Bianchi and Bahrain Victorious split after a season with no reason given
Bianchi and Bahrain Victorious mutually agreed to end their partnership after one season, effective immediately. The press release does not say why. It comes after a season in which the bikes took a stage at the Giro d'Italia and a stage at the Vuelta a España, nine wins in all according to CyclingPro.
What this means
Bianchi is left without a WorldTour team to sponsor. Bahrain Victorious's future sponsorship is open.
Afonso Eulálio rode a Bianchi Oltre RC to nine days in the maglia rosa, sixth overall and the white jersey at the Giro d'Italia. Alec Segaert won stage 12 on an Oltre RC. Bianchi's own CEO, Alberto Cavaggioni, described the partnership as competitive after that Giro. The exit statement from interim CEO Tony Grimaldi thanks the team and wishes it success in «its next chapter». The reasons were not publicly known at the time of reporting. CyclingPro says rumours of a break-up had circulated for several weeks. It also reports unconfirmed indications that Bahrain Victorious is close to a deal with Factor Bikes. The team's own statement thanks Bianchi and also looks to its next chapter.
Sources
Analysed 3 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work