New frames for Bahrain Victorious, along with an interesting departure from Shimano cranks.
Dave Rome
On the equipment front, changes across the WorldTour between 2025 and 2026 were minimal. Unlike years gone by, headline shifts were largely confined to teams changing groupsets, with only Bahrain Victorious moving to a new bike sponsor.
After nine years, the team called time on its partnership with Merida, leaving the bike brand without a WorldTour presence for the first time in over a decade. In the wake of Arkéa-B&B Hotels’ collapse at the end of 2025, Bianchi turned to Bahrain Victorious as a means of retaining its own place in the WorldTour, replacing Merida as the team’s bike supplier.
For Robert Stannard, 2026 marks his second full season with Bahrain after joining the team in August 2024 from Alpecin-Deceuninck. Bahrain’s move to Bianchi means the Australian has now ridden three different bikes in as many years. One skill riders are forced to develop over the course of their careers is the ability to adapt quickly to new equipment, often on a season-by-season basis.
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