"In his current form, it is almost impossible to beat Tadej Pogacar" admits Red Bull - BORA boss although he insists team have a plan of attack

In their first season since gaining the added investment of global drinks powerhouse Red Bull, Ralph Denk's team have performed strongly, most notably taking a Grand Tour victory at the Vuelta a Espana through star signing Primoz Roglic. The Tour de France is the one Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe want but for that, the problem of Tadej Pogacar must be overcome.

"Everyone wants the new Pogacar, where can I sign?" Denk begins jokingly in conversation with In de Leiderstrui. "Pogacar is truly out of this world, the entire cycling world agrees with that. We have to deal with that and we have to come up with a smart way. In his current form, it is almost impossible to beat him."

As mentioned, Pogacar's compatriot, Primoz Roglic has come aboard and proven he still has Grand Tour winning capabilities in taking his record-equalling 4th Red Jersey success at the Vuelta a Espana. Roglic was a noted level below Pogacar at the Tour de France, even before he crashed out though, and as such, Denk hints a different plan may be needed to bring the Maillot Jaune back to Red Bull. "That is difficult, but we invest a lot in talent development and have set up a training team. With world champion Lorenzo Finn we have one of the best in his age category in the under 19 and with Florian Lipowitz and Giulio Pellizzari we have young men who have not done badly, right?" Denk explains, focusing on creating the next Tadej Pogacar-level talent. "

Rumours continue to circulate of a potential Tom Pidcock transfer too. "Is he better than the names mentioned?" Denk ponders. "You never know when a great talent will emerge, but when it does, development often goes quickly. We saw that with Remco and Tadej."

"Although I would ultimately say that it has been a good season for us. We have not only won the Vuelta a Espana, but also the Dauphiné and the Tour of Slovenia. We came second in the Giro d'Italia… We knew that the classics would be difficult, but that was better than expected," concludes Denk positively. "We have to talk to Primoz about next season. How will he perform this year? What are the courses? Then we can make decisions."