Giro d’Italia winner, Vincenzo Nibali has been strongly linked to the new Bahrain Cycling Team which hopes to gain a UCI licence next year
Prince Nasser Hamad Al Khalifa, a keen triathlete and Ironman competitor who has represented Bahrain internationally, has been courting Nibali for sometime. With a reported £11.5 to £13.7 million budget, and with IAM and Tinkoff set to fold at the end of the 2016 season there will be plenty of other top riders vying for a look in. The team will, “inspire, race hard, and look elegant.”
Meanwhile, Bianchi, Argon and Merida are among the bike brands fighting to sponsor the new set-up. Nibali is also reportedly keen to entice his Astana teammates Alessandro Vanotti and Valerio Agnoli as well as personal soigneur Michele Pallini, coach Paolo Slongo and directeur sportif, Giuseppe Martinelli.