Red Bull - BORA's secret weapon? German team sign Jonas Vingegaard and Visma's former coach Tim Heemskerk
Cycling
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has just conducted what is perhaps one of the most important signings of its season - but it is not that of a rider. The German team has hired Tim Heemskerk, the coach who trained Jonas Vingegaard for many years at Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
“We are pleased to welcome Tim to our coaching group. He brings valuable experience from working with Grand Tour riders and will be a strong addition to our existing performance staff," team performance director Zak Dempster said in a statement.
This is a huge move between two rival teams, now benefitting Red Bull. "We are continuing to build a coaching environment with deep experience, different perspectives and a strong culture of collaboration, and Tim is a very good fit for that environment.”
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Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's secret weapon to fight for the Tour de France?
It just might be a very important signing, and corelates perfectly with the start of Remco Evenepoel's specific preparation towards the Tour de France. The Belgian will now take on a few weeks of altitude training in SIerra Nevada.
His schedule has been changed, removing the Tour Auverge - Rhône Alpes from what was his initial plan, hence favouring training over racing - a more modern trend amongst the top GC riders.
The likes of Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz might well come under the guise of Heemskerk, the coach who has prepared Jonas Vingegaard during his two Tour de France wins.
“Over the past period, I have noticed that I was struggling to continue applying my creativity and passion, which are important to me in my work as a coach,” Heemskerk said in a statement issued in February. “That was the moment for me to be honest with myself and with the team.”
This happened right at the start of the season, and ended the year-long collaboration. Now, a rider like Evenepoel may benefit from the work of Heemskerk, as he looks to become a potential Tour de France winner in the future.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Contract year means you gotta win, at least collect UCI points, helping be damnedabstractengineer13-11-2026
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