'We say goodbye to a great partner who we will be racing against in the near future' – Bahrain Victorious confirm Merida exit

After nine years together, Bahrain Victorious and Merida bikes have ended their partnership, it was confirmed on Friday morning.

The WorldTour squad has raced on Merida equipment since their formation in 2017 as Bahrain Merida, but is now expected to ride Bianchi bikes from next season. There has been no official announcement, but it has been widely reported, including by Daniel Benson in June.

In a press release, a spokesperson for the Taiwanese brand said: "Everybody at Merida is grateful to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the opportunity to be part of this exciting project and is immensely proud of the many successes the team has achieved. Over the years, this close partnership between Merida and the Bahrain WorldTour Cycling Team Project has been the foundation for the team’s accomplishments.

"Merida will use the ending of the partnership with the Bahrain WorldTour Cycling Team Project to consolidate and continue working on exciting new WorldTour racing projects going forward."

On the road, Bahrain Victorious have used the Reacto, with the Time Warp employed in time trials. From next year, it's expected that they will be on the Bianchi Oltre RC and Aquila RC.

In the team's own press release, Milan Eržen, the managing director of Bahrain Victorious, said: "Merida are more than just partners – they are lifelong friends. They have been part of the family from the very beginning and played an integral role in all of our success.

"We say goodbye to a great partner who we will be racing against in the near future and who will no doubt continue to find success on the road. From all of us at Bahrain Victorious, it is a huge pleasure and a massive thanks to them."

During their time together, Bahrain Victorious won stages at the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, and triumphed at Il Lombardia, Milan-San Remo, and Paris-Roubaix.

Bianchi are without a WorldTour team for next season, after Arkéa-Samsic folded; it continues the bike partner merry-go-round, with Scott rumoured to be sponsoring NSN Cycling next year after leaving Q36.5 Pro Cycling (who have become Q36.5-Pinarello), which might leave Factor without a team too. Simple.

Also this month, Bahrain Victorious announced a deal with OMNIYAT, a leading luxury real estate developer in Dubai.