Two 15-year-olds, Karl Herzog and Georgs Tjumins, have been declared the winners of the Red Bull Junior Brothers program for 2024, awarded with a spot on the GRENKE-Auto Eder U19 team, Bora-Hansgrohe's junior squad, along with a Red Bull athlete contract.
The pair both described the decision, announced on Friday, as a "dream come true". Herzog is the younger brother of Bora-Hansgrohe rider Emil, who also came through the junior system at the team, and is said to have "exceptional talent". Tjumins is a promising young Latvian rider, described as having "immense potential" in the press release.
The pair were the victors after a scouting process which saw over 600 applicants whittled down to 15 finalists, who spent this week undergoing tests at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Thalgau, Austria.
"It means a lot, I'm super happy," Herzog said. "It is a dream which came true. I'm looking forward to next season's big international races, in a really good under-19 team."
Tjumins echoed this: "It's like a dream come true, I'm really excited for next season, I think it will be a really interesting one."
"In general, we had a good competition this year," Christian Schrot, head of scouting at BORA-hansgrohe, and directeur sportif at GRENKE-Auto Eder, told Cycling Weekly. "So many countries participated, it was nice to see. I wouldn't say it was one aspect, we looked into a lot of different things that we think pro riders should have. We had quite a learning curve with doing this for so long in the team, and it's the second time of Junior Brothers. We adjusted from last year a bit too.
"This year we were looking more for the complete rider. Not just the physical side, but also all the aspects where we see the potential to develop. That was the biggest thing to look at. Both of them stood out in this group, so after some discussion it was pretty clear that these are the winners. Both similar, but there are differences if you look deeper. Both have good potential."
Tjumins said that there was "a lot of testing", both mental and physical.
Herzog expanded: "We also went on bike rides, we had lots of free times with the other cyclists too. It was really fun... I only have high points so far, no low points. It was everything that I thought it would be."
Having an older brother on the senior team, doesn't hurt, either: "The guys from Bora, and Kristian, know Emil well, and so they know a bit about how I am, and my situation, where I live. They know a bit about me more than other cyclists."
For Tjumins, he hopes to follow in the wheels of the likes of Toms Skujiņš (Lidl-Trek) and Emīls Liepiņš (dsm-firmenich PostNL) as a Latvian WorldTour professional.
"The federation is asking me all the time how it's going over here," he said. "This is a big step for cycling in Latvia, I hope."
The tests were not just physical, Schot explained, as they are looking for well-rounded athletes to help grow.
"They physical capacity needs to be there, the base, otherwise we're just not going to develop them to WorldTour," he said. "Also, the rest should fit. Bike handling, communication, are they physiologically fit, do they have previous injuries. All those points are taken into consideration, through individual and group situations."
Among the final 15 were three Brits, Louis Herring, Harry Hudson and Isaac Oliver.
"All three of us here from the UK race for Harrogate U16 race team, which I think was set up last year as an extension of the core club," Oliver explained. "And it was just for the under-16 and junior riders that wanted to race with a bit more of an official setup."
Herring added: "Even if in the end, we don't get the contract, there's still so much experience gained this week, and it's been really good for knowing where we're at and knowing that our whole body is fine to push."
Schot stressed it was not over for the 13 who missed the cut this year.
"The competition level was high, and I said to the other boys to keep on going," he said. "It was already excellent to be here. We had over 600 applicants, and being selected for the last 15 means something. I would tell them to follow a clear plan, have some goals in mind, because if you don't have goals it's hard to reach anything. Not just thinking about the bike and training, but everything around."
Red Bull Junior Brothers will return in 2025.
