The German cycling team signs Belgium’s cycling star Remco Evenepoel. The Olympic champion will be a colleague of Tour-Sensation Florian Lipowitz in the future. The team also bought a captain’s debate.
On July 5, the starting day of the Tour de France in Lille, Ralph Denk was confronted with the news, Belgium’s Radsportstar Remco Evenepoel will very soon sign a contract with his team. Denk, managing director of the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, presented the term “ignorance” at the moment, mixed with a pinch of “surprise”. The theater culminated in a played laughing attack by Denk, which later, when he had calmed down, said: “Remco has a contract. We don’t speak to drivers who are bound.”
Three weeks later, after the final stage of the 112nd Tour of France, Denk said the same thing in front of his team’s bus at the Avenue de Friedland, which runs on the triumphal arch: “Remco still has a contract. Such drivers are not interesting for us. If his contract expires, 18 teams will be in line with him. We too.”
For Red Bull “more than just a milestone”
On Tuesday afternoon, once again nine days later, Den Denken the veil of what was no longer a secret, despite his Dementis and Schauspiel interludes: Remco Evenepoel, 25 years old, double Olympic champion, world champion, time trial champion 2022, 64 career victories so far, will now switch to Red Bull from 2026. this team consistently does not provide any information.
Denk could hardly brake his euphoria in the internal press release: “Remco not only brings exceptional sporting skills, but also a remarkable mentality. His determination, professionalism and his unconditional will inspire me to success.” Evenepoel also “stands for a claim. He does not want to ride along – he wants to shape”. The message ended with the words: “The arrival of Remco Evenepoel marks more than just a milestone for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.” With a “new self -image” and “clear ambition”, denk’s selection “wants to establish itself as the most attractive address on the international cycling stage”.
Evenepoel brings a package of confidants
Evenepoel will already shape his new team without driving a meter for Red Bull. Because with it the entire team will change significantly. There will be an Evenepoel bubble within the formation, which will initially belong to its most important helper Mattia Cattaneo. The Italian will switch to Red Bull as well as the former Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout, a closer confidante Evenepoels, and Klaas Lodewijk, his previous sporting director at Soudal-Quick Step. Also in the Evenepoel package are his masseur David Geeroms and his mechanic and cousin Dario Cloeck.
The big chair at Red Bull started right after the tour when the separation of Rolf Aldag was initially announced, the head of the team’s sporting director. Shortly thereafter, Aldag’s colleague Enrico Gasparotto, who acted in the team in Auto 1, had to go on the tour. And extremely questionable. The failed tactical decisions and less comprehensible maneuvers of the two and above all the sometimes Hanebüchen justifications are already legendary. The duo, for example, was nevertheless a grip on the selfish veterans Primoz Roglic, who pulled out a solon number on the tour and ignored his much better teammate Florian Lipowitz.
What will become of Florian Lipowitz?
He had developed all alone that Lipowitz ultimately won the white jersey of the best young professional and took third place in Paris. The compilation of the tour team had failed, Lipowitz was insulated in the high mountains after a few kilometers. Roglic stayed with it every now and then, but was never a help for the German tour coverage.
Lipowitz was solely able to grip the Roglic problem with his outstanding services. But how will the interaction with Evenepoel, Belgium’s number one sports star develop, which is entitled to win all three Grand Tours, especially the Tour de France in the foreseeable future? From the Red Bull environment, it can be heard that there will be enough possible uses and opportunities for both drivers. And yet: With even -Evenepoel you have also bought a captain’s debate.
Reinforcement for the monuments
Even Evenepoel is strong in spring, monuments such as Milan-Sanremo or Liège-Bastogne-Liège can drive to victory, an element that was completely lacking after Peter Sagan’s departure in the portfolio of Denks team. In Liège, for example, Evenepoel has already won twice.
Nevertheless, even Evenepoel, which Denk had “ennobled as one of the iconic drivers of the present”, will have been given a start of the tour 2026 in addition to a lush salary increase. Lipowitz, which was also to be learned from the inner circle of the team management, should also be planned and set there in 2026. In the best case, as part of a double top. In the worst as an Evenepoel helper.
High transfer fee is due
Evenepoel’s contract with the Belgian team Soudal-Quick Step, for which he has driven since he started the Word Tour 2019, ran until the end of 2026. The Belgian newspaper “Het Laatste Nieuws” reported that the due transfer fee should actually be an unusual means, significantly above the widespread two to three million euros. In any case, the brewer does not lack the necessary change.
And so Red Bull presented his new Star Evenepoel big and proud on social media on Tuesday afternoon. In front of the iconic jubilation of the Belgian after his victory in the Olympic street race of Paris 2024 – the head is on the neck, spread out arms and in the background the Eiffel Tower – the Brausekonzern placed his magazine logo by name: “The Red Bulletin” and wrote: “Welcome Remco.
Think Big, Red Bull doesn’t do it underneath. This is now becoming increasingly clear in cycling.