Red Bull’s underrated signing who could help Remco Evenepoel be closer to winning the Tour de France
Cycling
Georg Steinhauser’s move to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe could become one of the most promising additions to support Remco Evenepoel in the years ahead. The German team has signed the climber from EF Education-EasyPost on a multi-year contract with a clear aim: to strengthen a squad targeting the Tour de France.
The Belgian needs a team capable of backing him in the mountains of the Tour if he is to challenge the dominance of Tadej Pogačar. Steinhauser could offer another option in pursuit of that goal.
This may not be one of the transfer market’s most high-profile signings, but it could prove important on the road. Steinhauser has already shown he can perform in demanding mountain stages, and at just 25 at the start of 2027, he still has room to improve.
His arrival also represents an investment in a rider who understands the demands of Grand Tours and can take on different responsibilities in a team with several stage-race contenders.
The move carries particular significance in the context of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s ambitions. The German team wants to establish itself as one of the leading challengers to UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike. That takes more than top-level leaders.
The team also needs riders who can sustain the pace on decisive stages, protect their team leaders and ensure they are not isolated at the most important moments of a race.
Georg Steinhauser has left EF Education-EasyPost to join Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
A climber with Grand Tour experience
Steinhauser earned much of his reputation at the 2024 Giro d’Italia. The German claimed a stage victory at Passo Brocon after attacking from a breakaway and holding on through a demanding mountain stage. The win raised his profile in the peloton and confirmed his ability to shine on hilly routes with significant elevation gain.
He has continued to progress since then. In 2026, he achieved one of the biggest results of his career, finishing third overall at Paris-Nice. He also won the young rider classification, showing that he could compete for a week against more experienced riders.
That result is especially encouraging for Red Bull because it shows Steinhauser can offer more than a one-off performance in a breakaway. His third place in the French race suggests he can maintain consistency over several days and perform across different types of terrain. It does not mean he is ready to challenge for a Grand Tour victory, but he has attributes that could prove valuable to a team aiming to dominate stage races.
The support Evenepoel needs to take on Pogačar
Evenepoel’s main goal remains winning the Tour de France. The Belgian has already shown he can compete for the top places in a Grand Tour, but he still needs to find a way to beat Pogačar and Vingegaard over three weeks. His time trialling is one of his greatest strengths, while the mountains remain an area where he needs to close the gap to his main rivals.
Steinhauser could contribute to that effort. His climbing profile gives him the potential to play a role in mountain stages, particularly if he continues to progress in the coming months. That does not mean assigning him responsibility now for setting the pace on the Tour’s major climbs. Rather, it identifies one of the roles he could fill in a squad that needs depth to compete with the peloton’s most powerful teams.
The signing also has a strategic dimension. Red Bull cannot rely solely on Evenepoel to control every race situation. The more riders it has who can handle mountain stages, the more options the team will have to protect the Belgian and respond to moves from their rivals.
Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
A key addition to a squad that also includes Florian Lipowitz
Steinhauser’s arrival should not be viewed solely through the lens of Evenepoel. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe also has Florian Lipowitz, who has established himself as one of the most important riders in its Grand Tour project. The German finished third at the 2025 Tour de France, and the team wants to continue developing his potential as a general classification contender.
Steinhauser’s signing could benefit both riders. His profile suits a team looking for several options in the mountains and unwilling to rely on a single leader over three weeks. The team will need to manage the ambitions of its leading riders, but having more climbers could make that task easier.
The relationship between Evenepoel and Lipowitz will be one of the project’s most interesting aspects. Both are capable of achieving major results, and the team will have to decide how to divide their responsibilities according to the races and each rider’s development. In that context, their mountain domestiques become even more important: they can support one leader, back another, or give the team a presence in different moves.
Steinhauser offers exactly that versatility. His arrival does not force Red Bull to reshape its plans around a new team leader; instead, it adds a rider who can strengthen the collective effort. His youth also makes him a medium-term investment, not just an immediate solution for a particular Tour edition.
The big question: what role might he have at the 2027 Tour de France
The key question is how Steinhauser might fit into the team and what race programme he will be given. His signing for 2027 is confirmed, but that does not guarantee a place in the line-up for the next Tour de France. Red Bull will assess his form, goals and its leaders’ needs before making a final decision.
The experience he gained at the 2026 Tour can also help him continue to learn. The German already knows the demands of the French race and what it takes to compete at the highest level for three weeks. However, his performance at Paris-Nice shows he can still take further steps and aspire to a more important role in the future.
His development will be crucial. If he can bring the consistency he showed at the French race to the Grand Tours, he could become a more significant support rider for Evenepoel and Lipowitz. If he still needs time to establish himself, Red Bull will have to use him more selectively and give him room to keep improving.
The German team has found a rider in Steinhauser whose qualities suit its project. This is not a signing that will change the Tour de France hierarchy on its own, nor is there any guarantee he can immediately become one of Evenepoel’s leading domestiques. But it is a clear move to strengthen the mountain squad and give the team’s leaders more options.
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For Evenepoel, every addition of this kind can matter. The Belgian has the talent to target Tour victory, but Red Bull needs to build a team around him that can match the collective strength of its biggest rivals. Steinhauser still has to show how far he can go, but his progress and recent results make him a worthwhile investment.
The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. It could, however, help build the team he needs to try. In a race where small details can decide the battle between the favourites, having one more climber at the right moment could prove far more important than it seems.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
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- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- Technically it is "strictly forbidden to deviate from the lane they selected when launching into the sprint and, in so doing, endangering others". But: 1. Marie did not endangered anyone. 2. Above rule 2.3.036 is a Road Cycling rule not CX. 3. In Cyclocross we have only not well defined "irregular sprint" without description what would that mean. But even if you use 2.3.036 for CX it is still wrongly applied rule.averagecyclist10-11-2026
- Technically, leedorney is correct. There was a deviation. It was just a very questionable call to disqualify Marie from the victory, especially since she most likely would have won regardless of it..
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - You're WRONG!!! ... Capish?PogiSloFans10-11-2026
- ALBERTO CONTADOR isn't the only former cycling star who is praising Pogačar as the "greatest rider in history." EDDY MERCKX about TADEJ POGAČAR: “He has revived a style of cycling that we had almost forgotten. He is now better than me.” Key statements by Merckx about Pogačar in 2026: - Acknowledging his superiority: This time, Merckx openly admitted, without any subsequent backtracking or reservations, that Pogačar had surpassed him and was now above him. This contrasts with 2024, when he quickly softened his remarks about Pogačar being faster. - The possibility of a historic triple (Giro, Tour and Vuelta): During the July Tour de France (where Pogi claimed his fifth title), Merckx stated that Pogi was the only cyclist in history capable of winning all three Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) in a single season, provided the conditions were right and he had sufficient team support. - Lack of serious competition: Merckx emphasised that Pogačar has no real rivals in the mountains since 2024, thanks to his extraordinary climbing ability and the fact that he continues to improve despite still being under 28 (he turned 28 in autumn 2026). - Praise for his racing style: Merckx highlighted how Pogačar is bringing back the aggressive, uncompromising spirit of cycling's golden era, when races were not merely about calculated stages and tactical conservatism, but about attacking from long distances. PS: This is not "boring" ... this is called making real history... not statistical history. Capish?PogiSloFans10-11-2026
- No org will admit fault until the evidence in overwhelming and not even then. They have protected abusers and criminals.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- Schreiber won. UCI please admit your fault and correct result.averagecyclist10-11-2026
- She deviated from her line - end of
leedorney10-11-2026
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