Bora-Hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk has responded to rumours of the German side’s interest 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 team’s ownership and sponsorship, Bora have been heavily linked to the two multi-discipline stars who are athletes with deals alongside the energy drink company.
Despite the added budget and scope for bringing in names such as Van Aert and Pidcock, Denk was clear that the Red Bull deals are location-specific to the pair in their home nations and that they had not yet been discussed.
“Normally we don't respond to rumours. The Red Bull deals with Van Aert and Pidcock are separate from Red Bull's partnership with Bora-Hansgrohe,” Denk told Sporza.
“We have a partnership with Red Bull headquarters in Austria. Van Aert and Pidcock have deals with Red Bull Belgium and Red Bull UK respectively.
“We haven't talked about them in our meetings yet. In addition, Van Aert and Pidcock have long-term contracts. We respect them.”
The Belgian’s deal is currently set to last until 2026, while the Brit is signed on with Ineos until 2027.
Denk similarly denied any link to Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) when asked if he could be their future Tour de France leader for when the Red Bull-backed project goes on past the career of Primož Roglič who is 34.
“Remco is an interesting rider. It is always better to have him by your side than to have him opposite you. But I can confirm that there is certainly no deal with Remco,” said Denk
“Rumors are part of the game. But just like Van Aert and Pidcock, Evenepoel has a long-term contract with Soudal-Quick Step (2026). For our part, we will respect that contract.”
Denk’s team is set to become Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for the upcoming Tour de France which starts on June 29 in Florence.
New look kits and equipment with Reb Bull branding are expected to debut at the Tour as Bora-Hansgrohe look to become one of cycling's super teams alongside the likes of UAE Team Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers and Visma-Lease a Bike.
The Tour has become the ultimate goal 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 won the 2022 Giro, and Roglič who joined to lead their Tour squad in 2024.
“Winning the Tour de France drives me every day. That's no secret,” said Denk.
“After the departure of Peter Sagan, we focused on Grand Tours. We won the Giro 2 years ago with Jai Hindley, a very nice achievement."
How they achieve that dream of winning the Tour going forward is yet to be seen with the partnership only in its infancy, however, for at least the next two years, Roglič will be the hope.
“We have already had many brainstorming sessions with Red Bull and there will be many more to come,” Denk said.
“But the signatures under the collaboration with Red Bull were only signed at the end of April. Our partnership with Red Bull is therefore less than a month old.”
Roglič is due to lead Bora at the Critérium du Dauphiné starting this Sunday, before taking on the Tour with Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov as his key climbing domestiques in the challenge against Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Evenepoel and possibly Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike).
