The Bahrain Merida Team has announced that it will race as Team Bahrain McLaren starting in 2020, following McLaren's move to the team. Vincenzo Nibali moved to Trek Segafredo this winter, with new team manager Rod Ellingworth.

On Wednesday, the team unveiled its new black logo and confirmed that Merida will step down as its primary partner but will continue as official bike supplier.

Team Bahrain McLaren has signed Mark Cavendish, Mikkel Landa, and Wout Poels for 2020, while Tour de France stage winners Dylan Tuns, Phil Bauhaus, and Sonny Colbrelli will remain with the team.

"We are delighted to formalize our joint venture partnership with the Bahrain WorldTour Cycling Team. [As Bahrain-Merida, the team has quickly established its credibility in the most elite form of road racing, the UCI World Tour, by becoming the only team to finish on the podium in a Grand Tour in its debut year, most recently winning two stages in this year's Tour de France. As Bahrain McLaren, we are excited to build on that legacy and work with our various technical partners, including Merida, to write a new chapter of success.

"McLaren's racing pedigree is built on decades of experience in the world's most technologically advanced sport. We now want to apply this knowledge to elite cycling for the benefit of riders, partners and fans of this exciting and fast-growing sport. This is a time when passion and technology are merging and exciting new possibilities are being unleashed. This is what Team Bahrain McLaren is all about."

The team's new additions make up for many losses during the transfer season. In addition to Nibali, the team fired Rohan Dennis, who abandoned the Tour de France early. The team also named two Slovenians, Kristijan Koren and Borut Božić, in connection with the blood doping ring Operation Adelas; both Koren and Božić, who retired in 2018 and remained as Directeur Sportif, received two-year bans and the team dismissed them.

2020 will be a chance for the team to rebound from this year's troubles, led by Ellingworth.

Team Bahrain McLaren also announced that Milan Erjen will work with Alert as co-managing director.

Erjen has kept a low profile and has changed titles several times at Bahrain-Merida due to the UCI's insistence that he retain his team staff license; in 2019 he will have a UCI staff license, Class 8 (the lowest of the UCI categories). He was, but because of his close ties to Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, he is considered the de facto boss of the team. He assists the prince in triathlon training and works closely with him in horse training.

Team Bahrain McLaren appointed Erjen as joint managing director when they announced the new team name and logo.

"This moment marks an exciting new phase in the team's history. I am proud of what we have achieved as Bahrain Merida and I am delighted to combine that experience with our joint venture McLaren to innovate together in this great sport," Erjen said in the team announcement.

"The new name Bahrain McLaren reflects the new partnership and the entire team, from the riders to the staff, is looking forward to representing the new team brand. We are confident that the new partnership will bring new motivation and accelerate the team's ambition to compete at the top of the sport. McLaren will contribute significantly to optimizing technology, managing human high performance, and developing strategic marketing and communication activities with the goal of building a lasting and successful brand in the world of professional cycling.

"To achieve this we have optimized not only our 28 rider lineup but also our management structure. John Allert as Co-Managing Director, Rod Ellingworth as Team Principal, Roger Hammond as Performance Director, Charlie Pimm as Marketing Director, as well as Medicine, Therapy, Sports Direction, Coaching, Nutrition, and Mechanical Services, as well as numerous talented additions to the team in each of these areas."