Teams & Riders The Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe team thread

[AmRacer]

I think Moscon (and Denz) will be needed for the Giro or Tour line up as Road Captains and reliable domestiques. So I think they will be with different Part of the Teams in altitude camps or preparation races in this period of the year.

Regarding im Remco, I would also love to see him in these races but I dont see him or Bora taking this „Risk“ in his first year. The risk of failure and injury is high in these races. This would add a lot of Noise around the Team. Imagine he is on Place 89 in Flanders and crashes hard in Roubaix then the Ardennes and the first grand tour would be at risk for himself and for Bora the Investment would give them no return in the first year. It would be a loose loose Situation.

Remco won't ride PR, but RVV he should try.

 

[Berniece]

@Berniece @Krzysztof_O

They surely didn't buy him and are not paying him all that money to win Basque country or Kuurne
The goal for RBH and Remco is and should be winning the Tour. I don't think Lipowitz can win it and they've already won the Giro and the Vuelta. WC is raced in a Belgian jersey and while he could win monuments, he's unlikely to do so when Pogacar and/or MvdP are at 100%. The other races aren't worth it. So they're paying him all that to at some point win the Tour, otherwise it is, in my opinion, a failed investment, a waste of money. Because he's unlikely to win multiple Giros and Vueltas

I don't think Evenepoel and RBH think he doesn't have a chance at monuments and WC's

 

[Links2003]

The first team camp is done, december camp is close and one of the best parts of the season is around the corner - spring classics.

I´m really curious to find out how Bora will tackle the cobbled spring classics this year.
With the Lazkano case one of the riders who was brought in to have success in the cobbled classics is gone.

I think Bora will attack the classics as a grand tour. Bringing the major squad early together in a altitude camp do some preparation races and then attack the races.

Which pool of riders can be a part of the classics squad?

For me the obvious riders are (and they should stay together mid february until Roubaix):

- Pithie
- Meeus
- Vermeersch
- Tratnik
- van Dijcke Mick
- van Dijcke Tim

Which riders can be also part of the team?

- van Poppel
- Drizners
- Marit (if the rumours are true)
- Thornley

Which riders of the Development team can fill spots and ride smaller classics?

- Pajur
- Clemmensen
- Putz
- Donati

These are 10 World tour riders for 7 spots, but we have to have in mind that riders like Drizners are more likely to appear in races like Scheldeprijs or Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and not in Tour of Flanders, Dwaars door Vlaanderen or Omloop.

Is there a rider who can win a big classic (Roubaix, Flanders)? to be honest this can only happen by accident. But Meeus, Pithie or Mick van Dijcke can score a top 5 in these races.
The best thing that could happen this year is to stand on a podium in one of the big races and be there deep in the final with more than one rider. This will strength the believe in being competitive in classics. The next important thing for me is to win a smaller or medium classic. Which one depends on the calender Bora is riding. But in the development of a rider like Pithie it would be huge to win a race in the spring.

A very exciting lineup. They don't have a winner for the classics. The first goal will certainly be to play a better role. This year, not only were the results lacking, but the team wasn't even involved in the decisions. If that improves this year, they will have achieved a lot.



Tratnik could still show up in a few races, maybe even more than this year. With his qualities, shouldn't Boichis also be someone for the classics?

I'm also excited about Remco. They want to win more races with him, and it's not just about the Tour.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@Berniece @Krzysztof_O

They surely didn't buy him and are not paying him all that money to win Basque country or Kuurne
The goal for RBH and Remco is and should be winning the Tour. I don't think Lipowitz can win it and they've already won the Giro and the Vuelta. WC is raced in a Belgian jersey and while he could win monuments, he's unlikely to do so when Pogacar and/or MvdP are at 100%. The other races aren't worth it. So they're paying him all that to at some point win the Tour, otherwise it is, in my opinion, a failed investment, a waste of money. Because he's unlikely to win multiple Giros and Vueltas

As a strategic plan ( a few years), Tour may be #1 goal for Remco. In the near future (next 1-2 years) its more likely Remco will win Liege, MSR or RR WC than the Tour surely. And Bora has none for those races.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I'm not sure the only reason RBH is paying him that much is only for GT's. It's because he is a complete rider that can do classics, ITT and stage racing. It would make sense for his profile and strengths to go for other 1 day races too.

I do agree that there's a huge risk factor to it, definitely for someone like Evenepoel to who riding cobbles doesn't seem to come naturally. But the profile of the race suits him very much, and it would be nice to see him competitive during those races. Even more so for us viewers.

@Berniece @Krzysztof_O

They surely didn't buy him and are not paying him all that money to win Basque country or Kuurne
The goal for RBH and Remco is and should be winning the Tour. I don't think Lipowitz can win it and they've already won the Giro and the Vuelta. WC is raced in a Belgian jersey and while he could win monuments, he's unlikely to do so when Pogacar and/or MvdP are at 100%. The other races aren't worth it. So they're paying him all that to at some point win the Tour, otherwise it is, in my opinion, a failed investment, a waste of money. Because he's unlikely to win multiple Giros and Vueltas

I agree. I think even if he never wins the Tour, he will win so much that Red Bull will feel this was a big win for them. He is going to generate a ton of publicity through big solos, classics wins, and at least contention in GTs, not to mention spectacular collapses and histrionics. He will almost certainly have the second most wins over the next few years, and he brings a big personality. Winning other races also builds hype for the Tour, which brings attention for Red Bull.

Having said that, I'm still not sure I like him going to the cobbles classics. I kind of prefer a thorough classics campaign plus the Tour, but in that scenario I think he'd be tacitly acknowledging that he can't win (right now). An alternative would be doing the Tour + Vuelta (I like that better than Giro + Vuelta or Giro + Tour for him, I think), plus some early season stage races and a couple classics, but not a full campaign, IMO. That gives him a good block of stage racing to set himself up for 2027 but likely reduces the short term wins and pizzazz that defines Remco. I guess I'd choose to go all in on stage racing this year and see what happens in 2026-2027 and, if it doesn't seem to be paying off, revert to a season built around classics with a single GT that is 1b.

 

[Berniece]

Dutch article on RBH working together with Specialized and LaVision on particle image velocimetry to improve time trial positioning.

Apparently state of the art that they have only used in F1 before.

https://archive.is/WuuQ5

They also got an article on their own website about it

In the laser light of perfection: An aero revolution in the Catesby Tunnel

Green laser beams cut through the darkness – revealing how air truly flows. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, together with Specialized and LaVision, are taking aero testing to a new level.

www.redbullborahansgrohe.com

 

[vappaxbipmv]

@Berniece @Krzysztof_O

WC is done with Belgium and with different teammates and if he wins it, it's for Belgium. MvdP is almost a guarantee to win 1-2 monuments per year and he's paid a lot less than Remco. My point is, either they are paying him all those millions and exepct him to win the Tour or he's overpaid (a lot). Because if they expected other races they should have paid him a lot less. If we look at the last 3 years 2023-2025, he won 1 monument (maybe 0 if Pogacar doesn't crash and injure himself) and everything else is for Belgium. RBH are not paying him for that, they have the highest possible expectations

 

[Berniece]

@Berniece @Krzysztof_O

WC is done with Belgium and with different teammates and if he wins it, it's for Belgium. MvdP is almost a guarantee to win 1-2 monuments per year and he's paid a lot less than Remco. My point is, either they are paying him all those millions and exepct him to win the Tour or he's overpaid (a lot). Because if they expected other races they should have paid him a lot less. If we look at the last 3 years 2023-2025, he won 1 monument (maybe 0 if Pogacar doesn't crash and injure himself) and everything else is for Belgium. RBH are not paying him for that, they have the highest possible expectations

They expect him to win it all... Also WC is done with Belgium, but during the season it's the teams sponsors printed on the most beautiful jersey in the peloton. Why do you think UAE helps Pogacar win it?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

WC is done with Belgium, but during the season it's the teams sponsors printed on the most beautiful jersey in the peloton. Why do you think UAE helps Pogacar win it?

Pretty much this.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

Regarding Remco and the Monuments, I never understand why he doesn't ride the MSR; the power climbs, the flat section between them (and after the Poggio), and the distance suit him perfectly. He'll probably have some problems with positioning on the Cipressa and especially with his sprint, although he's not terrible at either.

I completely understand why he doesn't ride the Paris-Roubaix and even why he doesn't do the RVV, although in my opinion he should try the last one for at least two or three years to see how he does.

 

[Berniece]

Regarding Remco and the Monuments, I never understand why he doesn't ride the MSR; the power climbs, the flat section between them (and after the Poggio), and the distance suit him perfectly.

I think he always went to altitude after PN/TA

 

[HashRouge]

Regarding Remco and the Monuments, I never understand why he doesn't ride the MSR; the power climbs, the flat section between them (and after the Poggio), and the distance suit him perfectly. He'll probably have some problems with positioning on the Cipressa and especially with his sprint, although he's not terrible at either.

I completely understand why he doesn't ride the Paris-Roubaix and even why he doesn't do the RVV, although in my opinion he should try the last one for at least two or three years to see how he does.

I'd love to see him at MSR too. In some ways I think he'd have the same issue as Pogacar (i.e. can't drop MdvP on the Poggio), but if he's with the leading group after the Poggio descent, he'd have a good shot at winning with an attack on the flat. The way Pidcock tried to in 2024, except Remco is surely stronger and would be harder to bring back. Pogacar could never win like this because he has to burn himself on the Poggio trying to drop MdvP, and he is also the rider everyone is watching, so hard to launch a surprise attack on the flat. The way Pogacar rides MSR would suit Remco - if he attacks on the Cipressa, Remco would be one of the few riders who could follow, and if he attacks on the Poggio, Remco would benefit from the reduced group for the flat run in. Positioning might be an issue, but I'd love to see him try.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

I'd love to see him at MSR too. In some ways I think he'd have the same issue as Pogacar (i.e. can't drop MdvP on the Poggio), but if he's with the leading group after the Poggio descent, he'd have a good shot at winning with an attack on the flat. The way Pidcock tried to in 2024, except Remco is surely stronger and would be harder to bring back. Pogacar could never win like this because he has to burn himself on the Poggio trying to drop MdvP, and he is also the rider everyone is watching, so hard to launch a surprise attack on the flat. The way Pogacar rides MSR would suit Remco - if he attacks on the Cipressa, Remco would be one of the few riders who could follow, and if he attacks on the Poggio, Remco would benefit from the reduced group for the flat run in. Positioning might be an issue, but I'd love to see him try.

I don't see how Remco doesn't get dropped on the Poggio descent even in dry weather, rain/wet would be even worse. Everyone who is expected to be at the front is a better, more technically skilled descender, except Ganna, and has ridden that descent a "billion" times or even more if you live in Monaco/Nice and ride it regularly (for example Pogacar). Unless Remco goes all in into MSR project I don't see him being successful there, meaning he comes to the area a lot sooner, like a month sooner, and rides that descent religiously or the front group stops for whatever reason and he comes back

 

[peterfin]

Dutch article on RBH working together with Specialized and LaVision on particle image velocimetry to improve time trial positioning.

Apparently state of the art that they have only used in F1 before.

https://archive.is/WuuQ5

It exist already 100 years but it may be the first time that it is used on a cyclist and not a (scale) model. I have seen in live in the Von Karman institute (Belgium) 25 years ago. They used it to test turbulence models of CFD simulations.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

Interview with Lipowitz

In German but English subtitles are an option

 

[Berniece]

Some footage from team camp. Don't look for Evenepoel, he can't be seen in RBH branding yet due to UCI regulations.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Oldman]

As a strategic plan ( a few years), Tour may be #1 goal for Remco. In the near future (next 1-2 years) its more likely Remco will win Liege, MSR or RR WC than the Tour surely. And Bora has none for those races.

He should fit a serious effort to win a one week stage race against good competition, too.