Team Bahrain Victorious () is a UCI WorldTeam

cycling team A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...

from

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

which was founded in 2017. Its title sponsor is the government of

History

The idea for a Bahrain pro cycling team was started in August 2016 by Sheikh

Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (; born 8 May 1987), also known as Prince Nasser, is a member of the House of Khalifa, Bahraini royal family, Commander of Bahrain's Royal Guard (Bahrain), Royal Guard, deputy chairman of the Higher Committe ...

. The team is financed by the government of Bahrain to promote the country worldwide.

Doping

On 5 September 2018, the UCI announced that an out-of-competition test had resulted in an adverse analytical finding of

erythropoietin Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production ( erythropoiesis) in th ...

in a sample collected 31 July 2018. Kanstantsin Sivtsov was provisionally suspended pending the result of any B sample test. Following Stage 17 of the

2021 Tour de France The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), grand tours. Originally planned for the Denmark, Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was trans ...

, French police raided the team's hotel and bus on the suspicion of doping. The Police confirmed they conducted the raids and have the riders' training files in their possession, and "A preliminary enquiry has been opened to see if there has been, or not, acquisition, transport or possession of banned substances". On 27 June 2022, four days before the first stage of the 2022 Tour de France,

Europol Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating c ...

raided residences of several Team Bahrain Victorious staff and riders in several countries including Slovenia, Poland, and Spain. The team stated that the raids were directly linked to the hotel searches that took place at the previous year’s Tour, while

Matej Mohorič Matej Mohorič (born 19 October 1994) is a Slovenian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Mohorič turned professional in 2014. He won the Slovenian National Road Race Championships in 2018 and 2021, and the U ...

and Jan Tratnik denied that their properties had been searched.

Death of Gino Mäder

During the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse on 15 June 2023, Swiss rider Gino Mäder fell in a turn when descending from the stage's highest point at Albula Pass. Mäder, 26, was found to be unconscious and submerged in water. He was resuscitated and airlifted to a hospital in

Chur '' Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...

. Mäder died from his injuries a day later. Bahrain Victorious, along with two other teams, withdrew from the Tour on the next stage of competitive racing on 17 June 2023.