"I probably won't cycle for 10 more years": Gianni Vermeersch explains leaving Alpecin for Red Bull Bora challenge

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe faced a difficult reality in 2025. Despite having a big budget, the German team struggled in the spring classics, realizing that money does not guarantee results on the cobbles. After a disappointing campaign, the management decided they needed an experienced leader to guide their young riders, and they found the perfect candidate in Gianni Vermeersch.

The 33-year-old Belgian has spent most of his career at Alpecin, working as a key teammate for Mathieu van der Poel. Now, he moves to Red Bull to mentor young talents like Laurence Pithie and the Van Dijke brothers.

Speaking to In de Leiderstrui at the team's press day, Vermeersch explained how the transfer happened. "After the spring, my manager came with the message that there was interest," Vermeersch said. "Then I had some conversations and that is how it comes to a deal, so actually that is a fairly standard story."

However, leaving the team where he became a professional was hard. Vermeersch admitted he thought about staying there until he retired. "I had been with the team for a very long time," he reflected. "On the one hand, I played with the thought of finishing my career with that team, knowing that I probably won't cycle for 10 more years."

In the end, he wanted a change. "But on the other hand, I was also open to a new challenge and realized that it could be good to let a fresh wind blow for that one extra percent."

Red Bull was clear about why they signed him. They had strong riders, but they lacked tactical knowledge. "What Red Bull planned with me, they made very clear in the conversations," Vermeersch explained. "They wanted someone with experience in the team. Last year they already had a strong core, but the results were not really there."

Vermeersch believes that to win in Flanders or Roubaix, Red Bull needs to learn from successful teams like Alpecin. "You see patterns in the successful teams, who often manage to ride as a whole," he observed. "That is the most efficient way of racing. It is certainly the ambition to be able to take a step as a team... It is up to us to create a close-knit group."

Vermeersch was not the only rider to leave Alpecin this winter. Quinten Hermans, Xandro Meurisse, Robbe Ghys, Fabio Van den Bossche, and Timo Kielich also moved to other teams. Vermeersch sees this as a compliment to his former bosses, the Roodhooft brothers.

"They can also look positively at their transfers, because it is the success of their story," he argued. "If so many of your good riders are picked up, it only means that you have done many things right and are still doing well."

He insists he left on good terms. "At Alpecin they were positively surprised and they granted me this step. That contact with riders and staff will certainly not dilute. I owe a lot to Christoph and Philip Roodhooft."

Vermeersch will start his season on Monday at the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior in Spain. However, he also has big goals in Italy.

"Strade Bianche is a race that appeals to me very much," he said. "At the Strade I had the feeling that since the change of the course it was a bit too heavy for me, but last year I was seventh... maybe there is still something possible."