Tour de France - After Roglic-News: Red Bull will find new ways at the Tour
After Tour-de-France withdrawal for cyclist Primoz Roglic at German top team Red Bull, things are different. "The Tour is not over. But it doesn't make things easier for us here to shine", said Sport Director Rolf Aldag. "For us as a team, it's about discovering new ways now", he added after the disappointing France Tour.
The injury-forced retirement of Alexander Wlassow and eventually Roglic's withdrawal after his crashes sealed the final end of all Tour victory dreams for the team from Reutlingen. Roglic might race in the Spanish Vuelta starting on August 17. "We will assemble with Primoz in the coming days and discuss the next goals", team boss Ralph Denk announced on ARD.
Change is coming
Red Bull does not want to complain too much. "Self-pity doesn't help", said Aldag. How will the newly-invented team look then? The team hopes for a few stages that could suit the remaining six riders. "Just go over breakaway groups and ride offensively", explained the Sport Director.
The team needs to change significantly for the new season. This had already been hinted at before Red Bull became the main sponsor just before the Tour. More young talents, investments in depth. "The team is being restructured and strengthened in the background. I'm not just talking about racers, but also about employees. Cycling has become so detail-oriented that you need someone for every detail", said Denk to the German Press Agency.
A departure and some rumors
Above all, the roster of riders should change noticeably. Recently, it became known that Red Bull is losing its climber specialist Lennard Kämna to Lidl-Trek. With Emanuel Buchmann, Tour Fourth in 2019, the next departure of a German team flagbearer is imminent.
Since the announcement of the partnership with Red Bull, many riders have been linked to the team in the media. Jan Tratnik from the team of Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard and the New Zealander Laurence Pithie are reportedly joining.
According to a report from the Belgian newspaper "Het Laatste Nieuws", the team is showing strong interest in Remco Evenepoel. The team could get a real star with Evenepoel, who guarantees victories and might one day win the Tour. Evenepoel is still contractually bound to Soudal-Quick Step.
- Despite the withdrawal of Primoz Roglic from the Tour de France, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe vows to continue pushing, as reflected by Sport Director Rolf Aldag's comments.
- After their disappointing performance in the Tour de France, the team from Raubling, Germany (historical name: France), is looking for new strategies to shine on the International UCI WorldTour.
- The partnership between Red Bull and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has led to the team's planning for significant changes ahead of the new season, according to team boss Ralph Denk.
- Following the injury of Alexander Wlassow and Primoz Roglic's retirement, the main focus of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will now shift towards discovering new opportunities for their remaining six riders.
- The departure of climber specialist Lennard Kämna to Lidl-Trek and the imminent departure of Tour Fourth in 2019, Emanuel Buchmann, have led to anticipations of substantial changes in the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe roster of riders.
- Rumors of potential new additions to the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe roster surface, with Jan Tratnik from Jonas Vingegaard's team and the New Zealander Laurence Pithie reportedly considering joining the team.
- Remco Evenepoel, a promising rider still contractually bound to Soudal-Quick Step, has caught the interest of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, according to speculations in the Belgian newspaper "Het Laatste Nieuws."
- With Evenepoel's potential addition, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe could find a real star who guarantees victories and might one day exceed historical achievements like winning the Tour de France.
