The long awaited moment has arrived and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's brand new development team announced its first 2025 recruit - and it's none other than the Junior World Champion Lorenzo Finn. While some of Finn's peers make the jump straight to WorldTour (Philipsen and Seixas), the 17-year-old Italian prefers to keep things steady as he works his way to the top at his own pace.
Joining the U23 team that is expected to be called Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies is not a step into unknown environment for Finn who previously raced for GRENKE - Auto Eder, BORA's U19 feeder. "Staying with the team is the best possible way to continue my development journey," Finn believes. "This year, I really enjoyed the environment of the whole team and staff, so I can’t wait to see what 2025 brings."
"We’re excited and honoured to have Lorenzo staying with the team and progressing into our new U23 Development structure. Not only is he a gifted climber and stage racer, but he’s also incredibly humble and grounded which shows in his calculated approach to racing," says newly-appointed leader of the development team, John Wakefield.
Finn's 2024 campaign was hampered by a mass crash in the first stage of the Eroica Juniores, which sidelined the Italian until June. But he returned in style, taking a double at the national championships. From here onwards, Finn finished 3rd, 1st and 2nd in general classifications of the three stage races he attended and finally, his season culminated with the World Championships title.
"His progression over the season has been impressive, and his dedication to continuous improvement shows a lot of maturity for a rider his age. Having such a talented and hard-working rider in our U23 project not only strengthens the team and makes us excited for what’s to come ahead, it shows our focus in our development pathways."
Welcome to the next level! 🚀 Lorenzo Finn will continue with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe in the U23 category. The freshly crowned U19 World Champion will join the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies, a new U23 team. ➡️ Read more here: redbullborahansgrohe.com/en/news/u23-lo… 📷 Paolo Radaelli
