Team Bahrain McLaren and its partners are pleased to announce that Mikel Landa Meana will lead its team of eight talented riders at the 2020 Tour de France, commencing in Nice on 29th August. Mikel, who finished 4th at the 2017 Tour, is a multiple stage winner at Grand Tours, having previously won stages at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Team Bahrain McLaren, originally conceived by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad in 2016, underscored its ambition to win the Tour by appointing Rod Ellingworth as Team Principal in 2019, and welcoming a raft of proven Grand Tour riders to its already strong line-up.
Rod Ellingworth, Team Principal, said, “The Tour de France is the biggest moment of the year in cycling and I’m proud to say the entire team has done a great job getting us Tour ready; we are where we need to be, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve. This year’s parcours is very well suited to Mikel, and his form is strong. The group we have chosen to support him represents our riders who are most suited to the parcours and Tour-ready. The past few months have been challenging for all riders to be race fit, and it’s a credit to all of our guys that we had such a strong line-up to choose from.”
Mikel said, “The Dauphiné and Vuelta a Burgos were both tough races and timely rehearsals for the Tour de France. I’ll be starting this Tour in very good shape, and am greatly motivated by how I’m feeling, as well as the strength and quality of my teammates who’ll be supporting me on the road. Together, as a team, we can achieve a lot.”
Gorazd Štangelj, Sports Director, said “Our team motto is ‘Ride as One’ and that’s what we’re going to do for Mikel at this year’s Tour. Mikel and his teammates have been incredibly focussed on this moment. We’ve put a lot of time and analysis into picking each rider against our GC ambition. We’ve done all we can to prepare, and now the whole team is ready.”
The Team Bahrain McLaren 2020 Tour de France squad comprises:
Mikel Landa Meana (Spain, 30, 5th Tour)
Wout Poels (Netherlands, 32, 8th Tour)
Pello Bilbao (Spain, 30, 2nd Tour)
Damiano Caruso (Italy, 32, 6th Tour)
Rafael Valls (Spain, 33, 5th Tour)
Marco Haller (Austria, 29, 5th Tour)
Matej Mohoric (Slovenia, 25, 2nd Tour)
Sonny Colbrelli (Italy, 30, 4th Tour)
