Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe reportedly set to sign INEOS staff ahead of Remco Evenepoel’s arrival

According to Daniel Benson and Ciro Scognamiglio, Zak Dempster will leave INEOS Grenadiers to join Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe for the 2026 season. The 37-year-old Australian has been part of the British team since 2023, arriving after a 14-year professional racing career that saw him compete in all three Grand Tours, including the Tour de France in 2014 and 2015. His move is the latest sign of Red Bull’s intent to assemble one of the most powerful setups in modern cycling.

Dempster’s experience stretches far beyond the races he entered as a rider. Since stepping away from competition, he’s built a reputation as a detail-focused sports director. At INEOS, he’s been part of a management structure tasked with arresting the team’s slide down the WorldTour rankings. Now, his focus will shift to an entirely different challenge: helping mould a squad around Remco Evenepoel, who will make the long-awaited move from Soudal – Quick-Step come January 1st 2026.

During Dempster’s career, he rode the Giro, Vuelta, and Tour, but his 2014 and 2015 appearances in France remain his standout Grand Tour moments. Those years at the highest level, paired with his work as a sports director at the top of the WorldTour, give him an invaluable perspective, one that Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe will lean on heavily as they reshape their GC ambitions and management structure.

The Australian’s arrival is part of a broader overhaul. Alongside him, Evenepoel will bring trusted allies from Quick-Step, including DS Klaas Lodewyck, a mechanic, and a soigneur. Sven Vanthourenhout, who has guided Evenepoel’s Belgian national team successes, will also join the setup. This influx of experienced backroom staff signals that BORA is no longer just building depth in the peloton, they are attempting to follow in the footsteps of UAE and Visma by creating the sport’s next super-team.

When Dempster arrives, he will find a roster already brimming with GC talent. Primoz Roglic, despite turning 36 soon, remains dangerous in the third week of a Grand Tour, as his attacking rides in the Alps at the 2025 Tour proved. Florian Lipowitz, the revelation of 2025, stepped up after Evenepoel’s abandonment in the Pyrenees to finish third overall in Paris, holding the white jersey to the end. Jai Hindley, Dani Martinez, and Aleksandr Vlasov add further depth in the mountains.

But the team’s 2026 ambitions clearly orbit around Evenepoel. After years at Quick-Step without the climbing support to challenge Pogacar or Vingegaard over three weeks, the Belgian will finally have a roster capable of controlling the race. With Red Bull’s budget matching cycling’s richest outfits, the pieces are now in place.

The move for Dempster also reflects the importance of blending rider strength with strategic intelligence. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s management turnover in recent weeks, most notably the departure of Rolf Aldag and Enrico Gasparotto, left space for new ideas. Denk’s quiet, methodical recruitment drive has targeted individuals who can deliver both in the car and on the road, and he clearly think Dempster meets that profile.

Dempster’s grounding in WorldTour racing, his experience directing across varied terrain, and his understanding of Grand Tour tactics position him as a key figure in what could be cycling’s most talked-about project next year.

Belgian media have already bristled at Evenepoel’s early departure from Quick-Step. “Leaving the team before the end of his contract shows little respect for his employer,” Het Nieuwsblad wrote. “Now, there remains that bitter aftertaste of ingratitude and egocentrism.” Jan Bakelants called it “almost a hostile takeover.” De Morgen warned that “anyone who leaves the Lefevere team… usually performs less well.”

So, if the Dempster signing is confirmed, he will be under immense pressure. His job will be to ensure that the wealth of talent at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe operates as a cohesive, race-winning unit. And considering the wealth of talent on offer at BORA, that could be challenge.