UCI WorldTeam

BORA-hansgrohe

Now established as one of the best teams in the WorldTour, Bora-Hansgrohe began life as a Continental-level team - Team Netapp - just over a decade ago. From those humble beginnings they grew rather quickly, subsuming the British team Endura Racing as they stepped up to the ProConti ranks in 2013. In 2017 they finally applied for and received a WorldTour licence.

This jump up to cycling’s top level coincided with the signing of then-double world champion Peter Sagan and the move from Argon 18 bikes to Specialized. The Sagan era is now well and truly over at Bora-Hansgrohe and the German squad has transitioned into a real, stage-race-winning force.

Several of the riders who were brought in to fill the Sagan-shaped hole at the centre of their roster have gone on to reap a lot of success, particularly Jai Hindley who bagged them their first Grand Tour victory at the 2022 Giro d’Italia. The arrival of Bob Jungels and Nico Denz, in addition to their current stage-racing stars Aleksandr Vlasov, Sergio Higuita and Hindley, was another sign that they meant business in the winter of 2022, before the team was completely revolutionised ahead of 2024.

The stars of the post-Peter Sagan transition remain, with Hindley, Higuita, Vlasov and Lennard Kämna all to play prominent roles, but in comes four-time Grand Tour winner Primož Roglič. Formerly of Jumbo-Visma, the Slovenian's arrival marks the beginning of a new era for Bora-Hansgrohe, as they look to win the Tour de France for the first time in team history.

Just months after the acquisition of Roglič, it was revealed that Red Bull had purchased a controlling stake in the German side. More accurately, Red Bull GmbH had indirectly acquired a 51% stake in RD pro cycling GmbH & Co KG and RD Beteiligungs GmbH, the company that owns the Bora-Hansgrohe WorldTeam.

Bora-Hansgrohe and Red Bull have long enjoyed a successful partnership, with the Austrian company having Anton Palzer as a Red Bull athlete, and the Red Bull Junior Brothers programme existing as a talent pathway for Bora-Hansgrohe's feeder team, GRENKE-Auto Eder.

Alongside Roglič, the team have also invested in Dani Martínez, Matteo Sobrero and Sam Welsford for 2024, with the latter starting his campaign in sensational fashion at the Tour Down Under.

With Roglič at the helm, Welsford on the front foot and the likes of Hindley and Kämna within the ranks, Bora-Hansgrohe will harbour hopes of knocking Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates off their perch in 2024.

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