The arrival of Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, confirmation that Primož Roglič is under contract for 2026 and the success of Florian Lipowitz at the Tour de France, means Red Bull will become one of the true Grand Tour 'super teams' in the years to come.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe announced Evenepoel's arrival just minutes after Soudal-QuickStep confirmed he would leave, confirming one of the biggest transfers of the season and turning the spotlight on the new hierarchy at Red Bull.
Roglič is listed as out of contract at the end of 2025 on the UCI database and was reported to have agreed a two-year contract in late 2023. Daniel Benson reported that Roglič is under contract for 2026 and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team manager Ralph Denk has reaffirmed that after the Tour de France.
Roglič's status and role alongside Evenepoel and Lipowitz in 2026 will depend on the team's strategy for the Tour de France and other major races.
Lipowitz won the best young rider competition and finished third overall in this year's Tour and is likely to lead Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe alongside Evenepoel next July. Roglič could have other goals and also ride the Tour in a support role, perhaps for the final time in his career.
"Primož has a contract with us," Denk said during a recent team podcast, ending speculation about his future.
Roglič struggled with injuries and illness after abandoning the Giro d'Italia and so played down his chances at the Grand Départ in Lille, and racing with a laissez faire attitude, which sparked speculation about his motivation and ambition if Evenepoel joined the team.
However, Roglič survived the first half of the Tour and then moved up to fifth overall, only to slip to eighth after trying to win a stage in the Alps. It was the first time he finished the Tour since 2020, when Tadej Pogačar snatched victory from him in the Planche des Belles Filles time trial.
He rode the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa at the weekend but his programme for the final months of the 2025 season is still to be confirmed.
Lipowitz will have an easier programme after targeting the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France, while Jai Hindley and other riders are expected to ride the Vuelta a Espana.
"When he [Roglič] realised that he is not the third best, he then, in consultation with our team, tried desperately to win a stage," Denk explained.
"Unfortunately, he did not succeed. I really wished it for him, but all in all, he was in good form, that should be acknowledged. So he was good but others were better.
"We will now talk to him after the Tour de France about what his goals are and what still motivates him. He has won almost everything except the Tour de France and the Tour de Suisse. We will come up with a plan."
Denk has long courted Evenepoel but has recently shaken up his management group, with Chief of Sports Ralph Aldag and directeur sportif Enrico Gasparotto both leaving the team and former Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout hired as a replacement.
Evenepoel is Red Bull's team leader and global star but Lipowitz will also have a key role as the next German Grand Tour talent, who was developed internally.
"His third place in Dauphiné before the Tour was his season highlight but then he did even better and maintained his form until Paris. That was outstanding and really shows his class," Denk said.
"It's another milestone in the team's history. We've won the Giro d'Italia, we've won the Vuelta a España, we've won Paris-Roubaix and we have become world champion. We have already achieved a lot in the team's history but we had never been on the podium in Paris. So that was the next milestone.
"The special thing is that we achieved this with our rider, someone who signed their first professional contract with us. Developing Florian from being an amateur rider up to the podium in Paris at the Tour de France is really super cool."
