Rod Ellingworth joins Bahrain-Victorious to support tour talents and achieve Tour podium

Rod Ellingworth is returning to the peloton as a team leader for at least three years. The 52-year-old Englishman will take on an essential role in the performance team at Bahrain-Victorious, the team reported via a statement on its site. The focus will be mentoring the team's young tour riders, which the Bahrain formation frequently has among its ranks.

"We are happy to bring Rod back to our team," director Milan Erzen began. "He will play an important role in guiding our talents for the GC, such as Buitrago, Martinez, and Tiberi, focusing on the grand tours." With Ellingworth, the team adds a lot of knowledge to the staff. "He has a lot of experience in getting the best results in the best races. It's great that he's back on our team," Erzen said. Ellingworth was active with Team Sky from 2010 to 2019, during which time he claimed 7 Tour victories, among others.

Ellingworth was still general manager at INEOS Grenadiers in 2023 but now returns to a more supervisory role at Bahrain-Victorious. "It's great to be back, and I'm looking forward to working on key projects over the next three years. The team has fantastic young drivers with good credentials in the overall standings. I look forward to working with them to realize the team's ambitions."

No shortage of potential on the team

Supporting Buitrago, Tiberi, and Martinez will thus be the focus of the Englishman, according to Erzen. The former won a stage in Paris-Nice this year and rode top-10 in the Tour in the summer, just under half an hour behind overall winner Tadej Pogacar. Tiberi rode in the top 5 in the Giro early this year, winning the white junior jersey. The 23-year-old Italian will appear at the start of the Vuelta a España on Saturday, where he will be the outspoken leader. Recruit Martinez, who wore the red jersey at the Vuelta in 2023, won five times this spring but then rode a very anonymous Tour de France. So, for Ellingworth, there is certainly enough potential in the team to make Bahrain-Victorious's ultimate dream come true: to be on the podium in Paris.