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On Wednesday, Bahrain Victorious announced its team and goals for the upcoming Vuelta a España. Santiago Buitrago, who will be joining NSN this winter, will start his final Grand Tour with the team as team leader. Pello Bilbao, who is retiring at the end of this season, will begin his final Grand Tour. Team manager Franco Pellizotti explains his roster, which also includes Attila Valter, Pau Miquel, sprinter Matevz Govekar, rising star Jakob Omrzel, Roman Ermakov, and Dutch rider Matthijs Paasschens. “Here we are, almost at the third Grand Tour of the season. After the Giro and the Tour, I think our expectations are pretty high,” said the Italian. "We have a strong team, with Santi as our leader and an experienced road captain in Pello. We know that Pello isn't in top form, but his presence on the team is important to everyone, especially to younger riders like Jakob, who is embarking on his first Grand Tour. It’s important for us as team directors, for the staff, and for the entire team. This will be Pello’s last Grand Tour, and I hope he can truly enjoy these three weeks in Spain.” "Santi will be our leader in the general classification, but of course we're not just focused on the general classification. We also want to compete for stage wins. "This is Roman’s second Vuelta, and I hope he can take a step forward compared to last year. I expect more from him this time, and I think he can be in contention in some stages," he said. Read more below the photo! Santiago Buitrago: Bahrain's team leader in the Vuelta. "For Attila, it hasn't been the year he would have wanted so far," says the team director about the rider who joined from Visma | Lease a Bike. “I’ve spoken with him at length, and expectations for him are also high. I hope we’ll see him perform at the level we know he’s capable of. He’s happy to be coming to the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour of the season.” "Matevž will be our sprinter. It won’t be an easy Vuelta for the sprinters, because even the stages that could end in a sprint are pretty tough, but I have high hopes for him and I’d like to see him continue to develop," said Pellizotti, who also has another fast rider in Miquel. “Pau is very motivated for this Vuelta. I’ve spoken with him a lot before and during Burgos, and he’s worked very hard during this part of the season. We also have high expectations for him, and I hope he can contend for a stage win, because that would be an important step for him.” Finally, Omrzel, winner of the 2025 Giro d'Italia for U23 riders, has already finished sixth in the Tour of the Alps, eighth in the Tour of Hungary, sixteenth in the Clásica de San Sebastián, and third in the Tour of Slovenia this season. “Jakob is the youngest rider on the team, and we don’t want to put too much pressure on him. This is his first Grand Tour, and he’s here to learn a lot. Having Pello by his side will be especially valuable.” "Finally, as far as Mathijs is concerned, we don't look at his individual results, because we know what his role is, but I have no doubt that he will give his all for the team and his teammates," Pellizotti says, addressing the Dutchman on his team. Buitrago wants to give Bahrain a farewell gift Buitrago had set his sights on the Giro this year, but didn’t even make it to Italy after a crash in Bulgaria. “I’m extremely motivated to ride the Vuelta a España this year.” Personally, it’s been a somewhat complicated season, with a few setbacks in the first part of the year, but now I’m very motivated for this Vuelta. I’m going to tackle it with a lot of ambition, clear goals, and plenty of enthusiasm.” "It's going to be a very tough Vuelta, with a lot of mountain stages. I think there are only three stages for the sprinters, so that alone shows just how much climbing and elevation gain we're in for. Hopefully, that will give us opportunities to achieve what we want. We definitely want to finish well in the general classification, and we want to win stages. Those are the team’s main goals,” said the Colombian. Read more below the photo! Pello Bilbao is set to begin his final Grand Tour. A final Spanish farewell for retiring Bilbao Bilbao missed the Tour de France, but is now gearing up for the Vuelta. “Ultimately, the fact that I didn’t ride the Tour opened the door for me to ride the Vuelta, and I’m incredibly motivated. It’s a race I haven’t ridden in recent years, although I did ride it in my early years as a pro, and I was really eager to take this opportunity to test myself at home again.” "We have a fairly well-rounded team that can hold its own in various areas and isn't overly focused on a single goal, with Santi as our leader in the general classification. I also see a young team with a lot of ambition to win stages. I’d say that almost every rider on the team is making progress and is hungry for success. I also enjoy that situation—racing with riders who might be a bit less experienced and younger, people like Jakob,” said Bilbao. "For me, in my final Vuelta, it’s also motivating to be part of a young and ambitious team that wants to push its limits, and I want to contribute all my experience. Right now, I’m not in a position to contend for the general classification, but I’d love to be at the level where I can compete for a stage win. That’s the only one I’m still missing to have won all three Grand Tours. "I'm not someone who's obsessed with achievements or statistics, but I love challenges, and this is another one for me," he concludes. Bahrain Victorious team for the 2026 Vuelta a España Santiago Buitrago Pello Bilbao Attila Valter Pau Miquel Matevz Govekar Jakob Ormrzel Roman Ermakov Matthijs Paasschens