Red Bull has been confirmed as the majority owner and title sponsor of the Bora-Hansgrohe team, and the energy drink branding will appear on the team’s clothing and equipment at the Tour de France in late June.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will have a bigger budget, better riders and an Under 23 development but not a women’s team in 2025, as it begins a long-term project to win the Tour de France and become the best team in the sport.
“The deal is done. A lot of paperwork has been done in the last weeks and now we can really go forward,” team manager Ralf Denk said from Turin as his riders prepared to start the Giro d’Italia.
Denk sold a 51% share of the team’s management company for an estimated €10 million but has been retained to lead the development of the team.
“At the end of January we got the green light from the antitrust authorities and in the last few weeks, we brought the deal to the end. I'm super happy to have this joint venture,” he said.
"With the arrival of Red Bull, we have big, big goals but the Tour de France isn't the only goal. We want to be the number one brand, the most attractive brand in cycling. That’s the big goal for the whole project. We know we can’t do that in a few weeks but it’s the long-term approach of this project.”
But Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will have a significant budget enough to elevate them to super team status, alongside UAE Team Emirates, Lidl-Trek, Ineos Grenadiers and Visma-Lease a Bike.
“Everyone in the project agreed not to talk about the real numbers of the budget, but I will say it's a good one. I'm proud of it,” Denk said.
“It's not our goal to buy the biggest riders. Our goal is more to create our own talents. That's why a lot of the budget will be invested in the performance structure and in the whole Under 23 rookie program.
Before Red Bull’s arrival, Denk did a contract buy-out deal to sign Primož Roglič from Visma-Lease a Bike but suggested he would develop the team and future stars in-house rather than throw cash at other big-name riders in the peloton.
He has tried to buy Remco Evenepoel out of his contract with Soudal Quick-Step in the past but played down the idea that he splashed the Red Bull cash.
“Everybody who drank a can of Red Bull was linked to us in the past,” Denk joked when asked about Evenepoel and individually sponsored Red Bull athletes like Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock.
"They’re fantastic riders, but they all have valid contracts. We will see what the future brings but our approach is not to go from team to team and ask them for a buyout clause.”
The development of the men's team has been given priority over the creation of a women's team.
"I have huge respect for women's cycling, where they are now and how it has grown, but we will establish our under-23 team. This is our first focus, and maybe later on we will consider a women's team but not in 2025," Denk said.
There has already been speculation about the new look Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Denk promised all will be revealed before the Grand Depart of the Tour de France. The team use Specialized bikes and the US brand is keen to provide new red bikes in a throwback to Specialized's original bike colours and branding.
“The new name would be Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, so we use the whole UCI regulation with a three naming-rights combination. From the 2024 Tour de France we will have a completely new branding of the clothing, of the bikes, helmets, everything will be new on,” Denk explained.
“That’s a lot of work for us, for the whole team but it's also an exciting moment for everyone. The project is getting bigger and bigger. And I'm super thankful as well to all the employees who believe in this project. We’re at the start of something special.”
