Bahrain Victorious announced the signing of three young riders, including Giro di Sicilia stage winner Fran Miholjević.
The 20-year-old Croatian made himself known in the UCI 2.1-ranked stage race in April when he attacked the day's breakaway on stage 3 and soloed in for an emphatic victory, snatching the race lead from Damiano Caruso for a day before conceding on Mount Etna.
Miholjević was expected to step up to the WorldTour and, as part of Bahrain's Friuli ASD feeder team, his choice is no surprise, in particular since he signed as a trainee at the beginning of this month.
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"It is a dream and a pleasure to sign with this Bahrain Victorious," Miholjević said in a press release. "I know the team well as they support my previous squad, the CTF. From the training camps, I did with Bahrain Victorious, I have seen the attention to detail when it comes to performance, so I do not doubt that I will be able to develop and improve in the best way possible. I look forward to this new chapter and will give my all to leave a mark."
The team also signed Australian sprinter Cameron Scott, who raced for the Australian Cycling Academy (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast). The 24-year-old won the Melbourne to Warrnambool in February, the 1.2-ranked Memorial Philippe Van Coningsloo in June, and landed on the podium of the Ronde van Overijssel in May.
"I'm very happy and excited to join the WorldTour with team Bahrain Victorious for the 2023/24 seasons. Racing in the world tour has been a lifelong goal for me, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to achieve this with such a great team," said Scott.
A third rider will join on a two-year neo-pro contract, Austrian rider Rainer Kepplinger. The 24-year-old raced for the Hrinkow Advarics Cycleang team after coming to the sport from a rowing background. He first took to cycling by winning a virtual race and in his second year of racing, he won the overall at the Raiffeisen Oberösterreich Rundfahrt.
"I am really looking forward to meeting my new teammates, and I am already motivated for the upcoming challenges. I hope that I can develop well, and we can achieve good results together," Kepplinger said.
