All in for Primož Roglič as Bora-Hansgrohe send the big guns to the Tour de France

Jai Hindley, Dani Martínez and Aleksandr Vlasov to ride completely in support of Roglič in France, with Lennard Kämna pencilled in after Giro d'Italia GC bid

14:08, Wednesday 10th January 2024

Daniel Benson

Editor in Chief

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Primož Roglič wore the yellow jersey for much of the 2020 edition, but famously came up short on the penultimate stage

Bora-Hansgrohe will send arguably their best Grand Tour team to the Tour de France in a bid to support leader Primož Roglič.

As confirmed by GCN earlier this week, the Slovenian will be aided by former Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley, with the Australian tasked to support Roglič in the high mountains.

Although there are still six months between now and the Tour, the Bora-Hansgrohe management have demonstrated their intent to help Roglič win his maiden Tour de France title. The squad is of course subject to change but at this point, there are also spots for Aleksandr Vlasov, Daniel Martínez and Danny van Poppel. The latter will support Roglič through the flat stages and could be a vital ally during the gravel sections in the first half of the race.

Bora-Hansgrohe's provisional squad for the Tour de France

Nico Denz and new recruit Matteo Sobrero have also been handed Tour de France slots and will aid Van Poppel, while also providing cover in the small to medium mountains. The remaining spot has yet to be decided at this stage but Lennard Kämna has been listed on the eight-rider shortlist. The German is set to race the Giro d’Italia in May and a final decision on his Tour chances will be decided in the weeks following the Italian race.

Roglič vs Vingegaard showdown set for Itzulua Basque Country

Roglič will start his 2024 campaign at Paris-Nice, as confirmed earlier this week by . He will take on Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) at the French stage race before tackling the Itzulia Basque Country in April. In Spain he will clash with former teammate and two-time defending Tour champion, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).

All three Grand Tour winners will then head to the Critérium du Dauphiné in June. Vingegaard and Evenepoel have different paths to the Tour de France than Roglič’s slimmed-down race programme but the Slovenian will be confident in the team around him come July.

Hindley won a stage in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey in last year's edition. He also finished inside the top ten despite sickness in the latter stages of the race. Vlasov has finished in the top ten in three Grand Tours during his career, while Martínez was a vital climber in Egan Bernal’s Giro d’Italia success in 2021. The Colombian made the switch from Ineos Grenadiers to Bora-Hansgrohe over the winter but arrived before Roglič’s late deal was agreed.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will race both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this year as he aims to become the first rider to win the double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

At the Bora-Hansgrohe team presentation in Mallorca, Spain, Roglič talked about his move to a new team and the road ahead.

“The first weeks felt very good and I am very much looking forward to the goals that lie ahead. This is certainly a big change for me after all these years at Jumbo-Visma. New colours, new teammates, new material, new challenges. This is a welcome transition for me and I'm looking forward to it. First training and bonding with everyone so that you can see that later down the road,” he told Het Nieuwsblad and other members of the media.