"Primoz Roglic is not ready to be a mentor" - Remco Evenepoel's Red Bull - BORA signing will spark Slovenian's resurgence claims compatriot

The arrival of Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe for the 2026 season is set to reshape the dynamics of the German-Austrian team – and potentially the career trajectory of Primoz Roglic. But according to Slovenian cycling figurehead Bogdan Fink, writing off Roglic as a fading force would be premature.

“I think he hasn’t had his final say. He’s still racing, and he’s not ready to take on a mentoring role just yet,” Fink told Sportal, urging caution over assumptions that the 35-year-old is being eased into the background.

Roglic’s status has come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks following confirmation that Evenepoel, one of the sport’s most explosive talents, will join the squad in 2026 after cutting ties with Soudal - Quick-Step a year before his contract was due to expire.

While the move is a major coup for a team with lofty ambitions, it throws up uncomfortable questions about hierarchy and leadership – particularly for a rider like Roglic, whose hunger for Tour de France glory remains undiminished.

Speaking before Evenepoel’s signing was officially announced, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team principal Ralph Denk made it clear that Roglic remains under contract and that the team would be evaluating his future based on a post-Tour conversation. “It’s not true that his contract is expiring,” Denk said on the team’s official podcast following the 2025 Tour de France. “We’ll speak after the Tour to discuss his goals and what motivates him. He’s won practically everything in cycling, except the Tour de France and the Tour de Suisse. After that conversation, we’ll determine the next steps.”

On the surface, Denk’s words suggest respect for Roglic’s pedigree and a willingness to give him space to define his own trajectory. But Evenepoel’s arrival inevitably casts a shadow. The 25-year-old Belgian is not coming to play second fiddle. His ambitions are Grand Tour-sized, and he views Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe as the platform to finally challenge the seemingly unassailable Tadej Pogacar.

Roglic has already shown signs of stepping aside — at least tactically. During the 2025 Tour, he handed over team leadership duties to 24-year-old Florian Lipowitz, who went on to finish third overall and take the white jersey. Roglic himself, ever the tactician, finished eighth — a commendable result but one which fuelled speculation that his days of contending for yellow may be behind him. Still, Fink isn’t buying into that narrative. “He finished eighth at the Tour. That’s an excellent result — we used to only dream of these. I don’t think he’s done yet,” he said. “He’ll still race. And it’s far too early to speculate on team hierarchy. Who knows? Maybe more signings are coming.”

Indeed, Red Bull’s entrance into World Tour cycling has been nothing short of seismic. “When they came into the sport last year, they said loud and clear: they want to build the best team in the world,” Fink added. “They’ve started doing just that. With their financial firepower — if they can be the best in Formula One, there’s no reason they can’t do the same here.”

For all the potential friction, a Roglic–Evenepoel–Lipowitz trio is a tantalising prospect. It’s a lineup that could — on paper — challenge the dominance of UAE Team Emirates and their talisman, Tadej Pogacar. But building a functional leadership model around three Grand Tour-calibre riders is no easy task.

Evenepoel arrives with clear GC ambitions. Lipowitz has already earned his stripes as the team’s next big thing. Roglic? He’s in that grey area where experience meets expectation. And while the idea of him transitioning into a mentor or super-domestique role has been floated, Fink believes that’s not where his head is at — not yet, anyway.

Whether Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe can manage their growing wealth of talent remains to be seen. With a team increasingly designed to win Grand Tours — and specifically, to take on Pogacar — the internal balance will be delicate. Fink remains optimistic: “There are very few riders who can even compete with Pogacar right now. If you want to beat him, you need to have one of those guys. Roglic is still one of them.”