Bilbao seems pretty much done with Pogacar despite the arrival of Martinez: "With Evenepoel you can still try something"

A 3.5, Bahrain Victorious did not progress further in our assessment of the team for 2024. Pello Bilbao could not escape the downfall either, and so we are all very curious to see how they rebound in 2025. Bilbao acknowledges in conversation with Marca that the team is still brimming with quality.

The now 34-year-old Spaniard won once this year, in stage 4 of the Tour of Slovenia. He gave up on the Tour de France, and his results were not impressive. "The final assessment cannot be positive," he says honestly. "In terms of feeling, I was at about the same level as last year, but I had a hard time overcoming physical complaints. Then maybe I lacked a bit of determination; at important moments, I wasn't in front."

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Consequently, the results were lacking, but Bilbao maintained confidence for another year. If he can stay fit for a whole year, that brings hope. "One win is not enough, that's clear. It was always against me, but I am not a multiple-winner either. Therefore, the stage win in Slovenia was special; I enjoyed that. But I don't know what I will do in the big tours yet. I would like to return to the Giro d'Italia, but of course, the team also has a duty in the Tour de France to make the best possible selection. And then there's the Vuelta a España, which I've rarely done in recent years, but I'd love to win a stage there."

Then Bilbao would have won a stage in all the grand tours. As such, he is still doing quite well personally, but Victorious things just weren't working out in Bahrain. "This team has always performed at a high level with a lower budget. But in these times, you have to be realistic; competing against teams with a lot of money is hard. Red Bull, Trek, INEOS, UAE... They play with a different budget, so keeping the big names on board is complicated. We are at a disadvantage, so it was to be expected that a bad year would come. Guys like Landa, Milan, Mäder, and Colbrelli are hard to replace, so we have to concentrate more on stage wins."

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None of this sounds very positive, but Bahrain Victorious did bring in one of the biggest climbing talents, Lenny Martinez. "I have heard that he has a lot of ambition and wants to perform well on the Tour de France. We want to support him so he feels comfortable within the team. But we, as veterans, are also still strong. They ask many young riders, but the results come naturally. When you're 20, it's hard to be as consistent as someone like Mikel Landa."

And then there is the dominance of Tadej Pogacar. Bilbao calls it "sometimes dull." "But what do you do about it? He loves racing and has a different limit; you can't slow that down. You no longer ride for the win but for the podium. Following Pogacar is often in vain. Evenepoel and Roglic seem to be at a level more manageable for us, but they, too, are so good. With them, you can still try something; Pogacar seems to win when he wants to. It is what it is."