“I still want to win something”: Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe extends key domestique through 2028

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has extended the contract of one of its experienced support riders, keeping Ben Zwiehoff with the team beyond the 2026 season. The new agreement gives the former mountain biker another opportunity to combine his work for team leaders with his own ambitions for results.

The the 32-year-old rider only made the switch from mountain biking to the road in 2021, after establishing himself as a professional in the off-road discipline. His transition came after he concluded that reaching the very highest level in mountain biking would be difficult, but his endurance and ability to handle demanding terrain allowed him to make the move to the WorldTour.

“I did realise relatively early on that I probably wouldn’t be good enough to compete at the very top in mountain biking. My coaches told me: ‘On a good day, you might be able to finish in the top 15 or top ten in the World Cup, but you’re missing something to reach the very top.’ At the same time, though, I was a professional mountain biker, had long-term contracts and was able to turn my hobby into a career,” he said in an interview with the team.

“You don’t just throw that security away. I knew from my training data that my fitness level might not be too bad for road racing. But nobody knew whether I could actually put that into practice in road races. So it was clear to me: if I take this step, it has to be under the right circumstances.”

Despite being a domestique his whole career, that has not prevented him from demonstrating his own capabilities. “2023 was a very strong year. I came second in the Czech Republic, second in Turkey and was actually right up there at the front in almost every race. That gave me a real boost, of course. At the same time, I also got to know my own level very well. When everything clicks, I can finish in the top ten at WorldTour level and compete for a top-five spot in smaller races. With a lot of luck, I might even win once in a while.”

“But I’ve come to realise that the sport is becoming increasingly polarised. Especially in a team like ours, it’s a case of: either you win races – or you help the riders who can win them. There’s less and less room in between. I’m in the second group.”

For him, successful domestique work involves considerably more than physical strength. Understanding what a team leader needs, positioning, race reading and communication are all essential.

“As a good domestique, you have to be able to put yourself in your captain’s shoes. What does he need right now? What would help me in this situation? For that, you need empathy; you have to talk to each other and you have to be absolutely loyal. If you’re told: ‘You’re riding now’ – and you know full well that if you do that, your own day is practically over afterwards – then you still have to see it through to the end.”

“Then there’s experience. Positioning, reading the race situation, knowing which group is dangerous or how to put pressure on other teams. A good domestique isn’t just someone who can ride up a mountain quickly.”

Despite his current role as a domestique, he still wants to get his first professional victory. “Over the next two years, I still want to win something. It’s not as if I’m saying: ‘I’m just a domestique now.’ Opportunities always arise. And after all that hard work, I’d certainly like to achieve something like that at some point – preferably, of course, on a big stage. You can’t plan or guarantee that. But the idea of being able to say one day: ‘I’ve worked on the road for seven years for this’ – that really motivates me.”

He also retains ambitions of racing the Tour de France, despite acknowledging the competition for places within the team. “I’d love to win a Grand Tour with the team again. I’ve experienced for myself just how special that is [Giro d'Italia 2022]. And then, of course, there’s the Tour de France.”

“The competition in our team is extremely fierce; I’m fully aware of that. But after all these years on the road and with the experience I’ve gained, I’d feel ready to tackle the Tour. I wouldn’t be sad now, nor would I regard my career as a failure, if it never works out. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to experience it at least once. I think that’s what almost every cyclist wants.”