Red Bull - BORA's secret weapon? German team sign Jonas Vingegaard and Visma's former coach Tim Heemskerk

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.”

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.