Teams & Riders Bahrain

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Jul 2, 2019
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it absolutely could be the investigation, i just don't want to instantly put it down to that due to that Marseille department's track record.

that, and stages this year got won by some of the literal worst WT teams all year from the break- and they did have a small matter of podiuming the Giro, and winning both MSR and LFW
 
May 3, 2015
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Its quite absurd how their level dipped post raid. Caruso's and Mohoric' Tour were already awful but since Landa is targeting the Vuelta, this is maybe equally alarming:

2021 Burgos

nkPrev▼▲RiderTeamUCIPntTime
12▲1LANDA MikelBahrain - Victorious20015018:30:00
35▲2PADUN MarkBahrain - Victorious125900:43
89▲1BUITRAGO SantiagoBahrain - Victorious50501:09
1324▲11CARUSO DamianoBahrain - Victorious20283:56

2022 Burgos

 
Aug 19, 2011
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Haig could have had a great TDF but he crashed. Wright was very strong in France, lacked a bit of luck. he won silver in the Commonwealth games TT
in the meanwhile Buitrago and the young Slovenian won a stage in Burgos. and they won a stage and podiumed GC in Poland.
bring on the Vuelta
 
May 3, 2015
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And the Vuelta is going to be the next big disappointment. Instead of having two riders top 5 like last year, no one looks like a top 10 climber for now. Still baffeled by the fall of team level…
 
Last edited:

Aimar16

BANNED
Jul 4, 2017
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On many year average, those who have completed the Tour do better than those preparing for the Vuelta in San Sebastian.

They are still a long way from the level of 2021, hard to beat that ridiculousness without Padun and Colbrelli though.
 
Apr 13, 2021
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****ing yes, they've finally had enough and broken out the good pre-raid gear.

Get Colbrelli one of them Cristian Eriksen heart monitors, Get Padun signed, GC-podium Jack Haig and the best of the rest and hook them up.
Padun could be dropping ridiculous watt bombs in the mountains for Landa and making vingegard look slow, instead he is getting DNFs in small one day races for Jonatan vaughters school sports day meme team. Biggest waste in modern cycling
 
Apr 8, 2023
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If "Maestro Baltazar" was supplying Schmidt and Rozman, then I would not be surprised if Bahrain and possibly UAE were also customers.
 
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May 9, 2025
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Bahrain was absolutely nuts for 6 months. The two police raids and a very sudden return to “earth”.

If only police raids would hit UAE.
 
Apr 8, 2023
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https://www.doping-archiv.de/allgemein/operation-aderlass/operation-aderlass-presse-chronik/
Mark Schmidt's mobile phone revealed that Hondo had made contact with cycling manager Milan Erzen, then sporting director of the Slovenian team Adria Mobil, later founder of the World Tour racing team Bahrain Merida. "The statement of a technician from a Slovenian blood donation center on Wednesday was therefore interesting: For several years he had maintained the medical equipment for the Erfurt doping activities - and according to a text message, he had asked S. whether his methods could also be applied to horses. It is obvious to assume that the real interest in this is not with that technician, but with Erzen or someone from his environment."
Milan Erzen worked also on the Bahrain's ruler's stable of horses ...https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bahrain-meridas-milan-erzen-under-uci-investigation/
In an interview with Slovenian website Polet.delo.si, Eržen boasts how he went on to introduce modern training methods to the prince’s horse racing stable, including the use of altitude chambers.