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2024, Entering a new era
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was eagerly awaited by the cycling world at the beginning of 2024. Indeed, the German team, still named BORA-hansgrohe at that point, had realised an amazing transfer window, with the arrival of world-class riders such as Primož Roglič and Dani Martinez. The least we can say is that the season went quite well for Ralph Denk’s men, with a total of 24 wins, half of them being at the World Tour level.
The main highlight of the season for fans of the team was undeniably the Primož Roglič GC win at La Vuelta, along with three stages. The Slovenian had a great first season with his new team, also triumphing at the Critérium du Dauphiné for the second time in his career. Alongside him, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe's other climbers also enjoyed good seasons, with Dani Martinez finishing second at the Giro d'Italia, and Aleksandr Vlasov with a second-place finish at the Tour de Romandie. However, the season was more complicated for Jai Hindley whom, outside of his podium at Tirreno-Adriatico, wasn’t able to play a primary role during the biggest races.
At one-day races and especially the Monuments, the results were a bit disappointing for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, with their best finish being the 8th place of Jordi Meeus at Paris-Roubaix. The Belgian also managed to win the sprint for third place at Gent-Wevelgem, while Danny Van Poppel finished in the same position at Brugge-De Panne. 2024 was also the season of revelation for the young Florian Lipowitz who exploded onto the scene with his excellent results during the Tour de Romandie and La Vuelta.
Overall, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rounded up a first season with the Austrian sponsor in 5th place on the UCI classification and will hope that it will mark a milestone in their ambition to become a super-team.
Building for the Classics
After a wonderful season in the mountains, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe's management team decided to concentrate this off-season on enhancing their Classics squad, with the arrival of a number of extremely talented riders in this domain.
First, the Belgian Maxim Van Gils broke his contract with Lotto in order to join the German team. At 25 years old, the former winner of the Saudi Tour had an amazing season in 2024, recording multiple top 5s during World Tour races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne. With his new team, Van Gils' objective will be to raise his arms again at the highest level of cycling, after his victory at Eschborn-Frankfurt last year.
Alongside the former Lotto rider, Red Bull mainly recruited riders for the cobbled Classics, a field in which the German team needed to improve. To do that, Ralph Denk and his staff managed to bring in a mix of youth and experience in order to form a wonderful cocktail for 2025. Among the young talents, Laurence Pithie really had a breakthrough season in 2024, raising his arms at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race before posting a top 15 at Milano-Sanremo and a top 10 at Paris-Roubaix. Alongside the fast New-Zealander, the Spaniard Oier Lazkano could also be a man to watch in 2025. The former winner of the Boucles de la Mayenne showed that he was able to perform in all kind of races last season and will be an important piece of the Classics puzzle for his new team. Finally, the arrival of experienced riders such as Jan Tratnik, who won Omloop last season, and Gianni Moscon, along with the Van Dijke twins could allow Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe to fulfil their ambitions during the spring.
Despite concentrating on the one-day squad this winter, Ralph Denk also managed to recruit two excellent young climbers, who will add even more depth to the mountains squad. Recently third overall at the Tour Down Under, Finn Fisher-Black began his adventure with his new team well. The New-Zealander was performed extremely well at the beginning of last season, when he raised his arms at the Muscat Classic but also during a stage of the Tour of Oman. The 23-year-old could also be a key rider for the Ardennes Classics, which will be his first objective of the season. Alongside Fisher-Black, the young Giulio Pellizzari also joined the team for 2025. The Italian climber revealed himself to the cycling world in last year’s Giro d'Italia, where he launched incredible breakaways in the third week. The former second-place finisher at the Tour de l’Avenir should aim for La Vuelta this year.
Laurence Pithie and Oier Lazkano strengthen Red Bull's Classics squad
A huge challenge for Roglič
Primož Roglič has undeniably already written his name in the history books of cycling. The Slovenian has won 88 times during his career, including overall victories at four Vueltas and one Giro. At 35 years old, he is now entering the final years of his career, still with high hopes.
After eight seasons with the Jumbo-Visma structure, Roglič's move to what was then BORA-hansgrohe in 2024 was one of the most interesting moves of that transfer window. With eight successes throughout the year, the Slovenian proved that he was still one of the best riders in the peloton when the road rises. The most important point of his season was undeniably his GC win at La Vuelta, his fourth in the competition. However, the native of Trbovlje also added a second Critérium du Dauphiné to his almost full trophy cabinet, further extending his legend.
2025 will be a key year for Roglič. At 35 years old, the Slovenian will enter the final year of his contract with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and his future is still to be decided. For what could be one of his final seasons in the professional peloton, the winner of the 2023 Giro will return to the Italian Grand Tour, with the objective of equalling the success of his last participation. After that, the former winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège will take on the Tour de France, a race that never really smiled upon him. Indeed, everyone remembers the 2020 edition, when Roglič lost the yellow jersey to his countryman Tadej Pogačar during the final individual time trial at the Planche des Belles Filles.
Roglič takes on 2025 as the team's main leader despite some fierce competition from younger teammates. If the multiple Grand Tour winner is not at his best level, riders such as Dani Martinez, Jai Hindley or even Aleksandr Vlasov could very well take the place of the Slovenian at the head of the team. With all of his experience, Roglič is never to be underestimated by his opponents and will have at heart the desire to prove it this season.
Continuing to shine in the mountains
As mentioned previously, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s moutains squad is not only composed of Primož Roglič. Around the Slovenian, many riders could pretend to the role of leader during the biggest races in the world, creating a positive competitive environment within the German team.
After a complicated year in 2023, Dani Martinez chose to take on a new challenge by signing with BORA-hansgrohe last winter. This bet turned out to be a winner for the Colombian, who found his best legs again during the more recent Giro, where he finished second. Despite the rest of his year being more disappointing, the 28-year-old has proven his ability to assume leadership of his team during a three-week race. However, in 2025, the former winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné should be a world-class domestique for Roglič as he takes on the Giro and Tour de France double. If the Slovenian has a problem at either of these races, Martinez could very well be the second leader of the team.
The Colombian ITT champion is not the only one looking to this possibility. Winner of the 2022 Giro Jai Hindley will also return to La Corsa Rosa, adding even more quality to his team’s roster. If the Australian was far from his best level in 2024, he is still an excellent climber who could shake up the hierarchy of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. During the Tour de France, this role could be the one of Aleksandr Vlasov. The Russian had a very solid year in 2024 with top fives at Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya or the Tour of Romandy and has helped perfectly Primoz Roglic in his quest for La Vuelta. At 28 years old, the former winner of the Tour of Romandy will also take on the Spanish Grand Tour in 2025, maybe with a role of leader in the absence of his Slovenian leader. Along with these extremely talented climbers, riders such as Florian Lipowitz, Finn Fisher-Black or Giulio Pellizzari could improve even more and give their staff even more headaches when making their selections.
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