Red Bull confirm their 2026 plan: Evenepoel & Lipowitz to the Tour de France and Roglic chasing the Vuelta record

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe held their Media Day on Wednesday at a studio in Binissalem, Mallorca. During the event, the German team revealed the race calendars of their main riders for the upcoming season. The announcement comes at a key moment for the squad, which heads into a year full of expectation, especially with the arrival of Remco Evenepoel, who will ride his first season with the team after a highly publicised transfer.

Evenepoel will centre his preparation on the Tour de France, where he will share leadership with Florian Lipowitz. That choice is no coincidence. Lipowitz claimed an impressive third place on the podium at the 2025 Tour, while Evenepoel also finished third in the 2024 edition. With both riders already proving they can perform at the highest level in France, next year’s Tour is shaping up to be a perfect stage to see which of the two reaches the strongest level within a structure aimed at maximising their general classification chances.

Primoz Roglic, meanwhile, will take on sole leadership at the Vuelta a Espana. The Slovenian faces a historic challenge as he chases a fifth title to surpass Roberto Heras, who still holds the record for the most wins in the race. That means he will skip the Tour after a disappointing showing this season.

As for the Giro, the team have confirmed the participation of Giulio Pellizzari, Jai Hindley (winner of the race in 2022) and Aleksandr Vlasov, three riders with Grand Tour experience and the ability to deliver solid performances in one of the most demanding races of the year. With this plan, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe set out an ambitious roadmap for 2026 as they look to challenge Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France with their new Lipowitz-Evenepoel combination. There is not much more a team can do to try.

Evenepoel said in comments published by Eurosport that this is the first time he has approached a Grand Tour with two leaders, and he stressed that having more options inside the team is the best way to tackle the race. "It is the first time I am going to a Grand Tour with two leaders. I think it is the best way to approach it. If you have more cards to play, I think it is better. The team have decided that we both go, and I do not think it is the end of the world to go together..."

He added that his calendar is extensive and could be adjusted in the future. "Maybe that will change in the future, but we already have enough races with this plan."

Florian Lipowitz, who finished third at the 2025 Tour, expressed his excitement about sharing leadership with Evenepoel and learning from his experience. The young German highlighted the value of combining forces in a Grand Tour and his desire to take an active role within the team. "Getting on the podium at the Tour was a great experience. I think it is good to go to a Grand Tour with two leaders. I have already been third at the Tour, I think I can learn a lot from Remco and together we can race in a different way."

Primoz Roglic is preparing to lead the team at the Vuelta a Espana, where he will try to become the first rider in history to win the race five times. The Slovenian showed ambition and motivation despite approaching the later stages of his career. "Where can I sign to win it already? I still have hunger for competition. I am closer to my end, but not yet."