17/08/2024

Olympic race revelation leaves Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe to strengthen Tudor Pro Cycling

Ralph Denk, manager of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, made it clear that the team can't be bothered about their German/Austrian image in pursue of the historical Tour de France victory, but it's still fascinating to follow the numerous departures of the German team's long-time projects in Max Schachmann, Emanuel Buchmann or Lennard Kämna.

And now we can add Marco Haller to the list of departures. The 33-year-old Haller joined Bora - hansgrohe ahead of the 2022 season after having spent most of his career with Katusha before the team folded and then two years in Bahrain - Victorious. Katusha - Alpecin was licensed in Switzerland in the last three years of its existence and it's another Alpine country-based team that Haller's next steps lead to. He agreed to a two-year contract at the ambitious Tudor Pro Cycling.

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In the past years, Haller made a name for himself at the big cobbled classics with his attackive race style that often sees him in the mix for victory, albeit a bit of luck has been missing for that breakthrough result so far.

This season was a bit more modest for the Austrian with results (33rd at Tour of Flanders, DNF at Paris-Roubaix) that didn't quite match his ambitions. Even more surprising was then his surge at the Olympic course in Paris, where Haller picked the right move to join and arrived under the Eiffel Tower within the group that was fighting for the bronze medal. In a sprint, the Austrian missed a bit, but sixth place is nevertheless a great success.

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"It was an easy decision to join Tudor Pro Cycling," Haller says in press release. "It's a team that cares about me as a rider and as a person. I look forward to sharing my experience of 13 years in the WorldTour with the young riders on the team. I also want to keep pushing my limits."

Beside his role on the bike, Marco Haller will also support the organization and the development of the team: "With my expertise, I want to help bring the team to another level, make it better, bigger, faster and ultimately more successful. At the end of the day, contributing to the project’s progress is the most important thing for me. I am not just a rider, and I can’t wait to get started with this new task."