UAE Tour | 19 Feb 24 | |||||
Pello Bilbao López de Armentia (born 25 February 1990) is a Spanish cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Bahrain Victorious.
Career
Caja Rural–Seguros RGA (2014–16)
Bilbao joined Caja Rural–Seguros RGA for the 2014 season, after his previous team – Euskaltel–Euskadi – folded at the end of the 2013 season. In 2015, Bilbao won the sixth stage of the Tour of Turkey, concluding his effort atop a steep climb.
Astana (2017–2019)
He was named in the start list for the 2017 Giro d'Italia. He finished 10th overall in the Tour de Suisse, which was his first top 10 in a general classification in a major stage race.
Bilbao finished 7th overall at the 2018 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Months later he finished 8th overall at the Tour of the Basque Country. He won stage 1 of the Tour of the Alps, therefore riding stage 2 in the leader's jersey. He continued his great form at the Giro d'Italia, supporting Miguel Ángel López, and finishing 6th overall. Weeks later Bilbao won stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which was his first World Tour victory.
In July 2019, he was named in the startlist for the Tour de France.
Bahrain–McLaren
In October 2019, it was announced that Bilbao was to join Bahrain–Merida, later renamed as Bahrain–McLaren, for the 2020 season. He finished sixteenth at the 2020 Tour de France, before recording his best Grand Tour result to date, placing fifth overall at the 2020 Giro d'Italia.