Bahrain Victorious said goodbye to seven riders today ahead of the 2026 season, with former Vuelta a España podium finisher Jack Haig and red jersey wearer from this year’s Vuelta, Torstein Traen, among them.
After that career-best result in 2021, Haig has struggled to rediscover that peak as the sport has progressed, with crashes and bad luck among the things that have set him back into his 30s. 2025 was his fifth year on Bahrain and saw him mostly compete as a road captain, though he’s yet to have a new place for 2026 announced as of yet.
Træen bounced back to his best at the Vuelta after a long struggle with a concussion in the early portion of 2025, with second place from the breakaway on stage 6 earning him four days in the coveted red jersey.
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Though the Norwegian ultimately dropped down the rankings, he held on well enough to finish ninth overall amid a strong field, and he’s now been heavily linked to a move back to his home team – Uno-X Mobility.
Broadcaster TV 2 Norway reported that “the parties have reached an agreement, and that only a signature and paperwork remain before the agreement is formally in place”. As the team heads for their first season in the WorldTour after earning a late promotion, Uno-X Mobility’s 30-man roster would be completed with Træen.
The other five riders confirmed to be leaving Bahrain-Victorious were Fred Wright, Finlay Pickering, Andrea Pasqualon, Sergio Tu and Nicolò Buratti. The latter has joined Hungarian ProTeam MBH Bank CSB Ballan for 2026.
“I’ve learned a lot about being in the WorldTour over the last two years, and now moving to Team Jayco AlUla, I can hopefully develop into being an even better bike rider,” said the 22-year-old.