"Everyone is ready to welcome Remco with open arms" - Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe counting the days for Evenepoel's arrival

Sven Vanthourenhout has years of experience when it comes to working with Remco Evenepoel at the Belgian national team, and he was signed eyeing the Olympic Champion's arrival to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. With all the details agreed and the signing made public a month ago, the team is eager to take the next step in 2026 with its current set of leaders joining the new star arrival.

"... Since the Tour, where Florian Lipowitz finished third, things have been turning around on the sporting front," team manager Sven Vanthourenhout told Wielerflits. The team's future is incredibly bright with Florian Lipowitz and Giulio Pellizzari putting in incredible climbing performances all-year round, Jai Hindley back to his best, and wildcards such as Primoz Roglic and Daniel Martínez also present in the team with lots of climbing quality and Grand Tour experience.

Besides the climbers the team has been working near the top of Grand Tours, and will have a strong group ready to support Evenepoel's Grand Tour ambitions in 2026. "I see a lot of good things. Everyone is working incredibly hard to establish the right structure for 2026. And on the sporting front: don't forget that – besides Remco – there are a lot of good young riders coming up who will continue to develop in the coming years. We are well-equipped".

"The fact that the climbers in the team are doing well will certainly motivate Remco. Many things were questioned in the first few weeks after the transfer. Plenty of analysts and media outlets were critical of Remco's transfer. You'd hear things like: things aren't going well within the team, is it the right environment for Remco? I don't think that's fair. You see in the Vuelta, and earlier in the Tour, that the team is definitely capable".

Besides staff moving from Quick-Step to the German team, the expected signing of his right-hand man Mattia Cattaneo was finally confirmed this morning, signaling a full commitment to the team's bet on Evenepoel. Such a rider is capable of massive results and has the potential to grow further in the world of cycling, and BORA is looking to be his base for this to happen.

"I can only say that everyone in the team is very much looking forward to Remco's arrival, and that's true for Remco himself as well. Both the riders and the staff are trying to prepare for his arrival. You can tell that everyone wants to draw positive energy from it and do their part, so they can immediately make their mark on important races in 2026."

"... We'll have to make the most of that during the winter months, but I keep saying that everyone is ready to welcome Remco with open arms," Vanthourenhout concluded, explaining also that despite having multiple leaders, there will not be issues with leadership requests taking into consideration the extensive calendar the peloton has.