Bora-Hansgrohe workforce boss Ralph Denk has responded to rumours of the German aspect’s curiosity in signing the likes of Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Wout van Aert (Visma Lease A Bike), stating that they respect their long-term contracts.
With the incoming addition of Red Bull to the workforce’s possession and sponsorship, Bora have been closely linked to the 2 multi-discipline stars who’re athletes with offers alongside the vitality drink firm.
Despite the added finances and scope for bringing in names equivalent to Van Aert and Pidcock, Denk was clear that the Red Bull offers are location-specific to the pair of their house nations and that that they had not but been mentioned.
“Normally we do not reply to rumours. The Red Bull offers with Van Aert and Pidcock are separate from Red Bull’s partnership with Bora-Hansgrohe,” Denk instructed Sporza.
“We have a partnership with Red Bull headquarters in Austria. Van Aert and Pidcock have offers with Red Bull Belgium and Red Bull UK respectively.
“We have not talked about them in our conferences but. In addition, Van Aert and Pidcock have long-term contracts. We respect them.”
The Belgian’s deal is presently set to final till 2026, whereas the Brit is signed on with Ineos till 2027.
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Denk equally denied any hyperlink to Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) when requested if he could possibly be their future Tour de France chief for when the Red Bull-backed mission goes on previous the profession of Primož Roglič who’s 34.
“Remco is an attention-grabbing rider. It is at all times higher to have him by your aspect than to have him reverse you. But I can verify that there’s definitely no cope with Remco,” stated Denk
“Rumors are a part of the sport. But identical to Van Aert and Pidcock, Evenepoel has a long-term contract with Soudal-Quick Step (2026). For our half, we’ll respect that contract.”
Denk’s workforce is ready to turn into Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for the upcoming Tour de France which begins on June 29 in Florence.
New look kits and tools with Reb Bull branding are anticipated to debut on the Tour as Bora-Hansgrohe look to turn into one among biking’s tremendous groups alongside the likes of UAE Team Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers and Visma-Lease a Bike.
The Tour has turn into the last word aim of the German squad with their focus switching to the three-week races after the departure of three-time World Champion Peter Sagan and the signings of Jai Hindley, who gained the 2022 Giro, and Roglič who joined to steer their Tour squad in 2024.
“Winning the Tour de France drives me each day. That’s no secret,” stated Denk.
“After the departure of Peter Sagan, we centered on Grand Tours. We gained the Giro 2 years in the past with Jai Hindley, a really good achievement.”
How they obtain that dream of successful the Tour going ahead is but to be seen with the partnership solely in its infancy, nevertheless, for no less than the subsequent two years, Roglič would be the hope.
“We have already had many brainstorming classes with Red Bull and there will likely be many extra to come back,” Denk stated.
“But the signatures beneath the collaboration with Red Bull have been solely signed on the finish of April. Our partnership with Red Bull is subsequently lower than a month outdated.”
Roglič is because of lead Bora on the Critérium du Dauphiné beginning this Sunday, earlier than taking up the Tour with Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov as his key climbing domestiques within the problem towards Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Evenepoel and probably Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike).