"Remco is a superstar" - Ralph Denk believes Evenepoel transfer can do to Red Bull - BORA what Peter Sagan did in 2017

Remco Evenepoel is one of the very best riders in the peloton and modern cyclign, and whichever team he is present in automatically goes up a level. Ralph Denk, who had a big part in calling the shots on the multi-million euro signing of the Olympic Champion, believes his influence can help motivate the team further, as Peter Sagan did back in 2017.

At the time, Sagan was a reigning World Champion, and his presence boosted the team's image and overall level, later on turning into just one of the several team leaders. "I see some similarities with when Peter Sagan joined our team," Denk shared with Sporza. 

"Hopefully, Remco will bring the same advantages. Two years after Sagan's arrival, we had a fantastic year in 2019: we finished 2nd in the UCI team rankings and won 47 races, of which Sagan only won 5."

"The other 42 victories came from riders like Ackermann, Bennett, Buchmann, and Schachmann. That example shows that Sagan took a lot of pressure off our young riders."

Evenepoel finds himself in a slightly different position however, seeing as the German team is packed with great riders. "Remco is a superstar, still young, and has a special character, in a positive way. Remco is a winner. He has everything we need".

Evenepoel is a reigning Olympic, World and European time trial champion, whilst also holding the Olympic road title. Whilst he has been victim of several crashes in the past few years that have delayed his development, when in peak form, he has continued to reach an incredibly high level.

This fall was a great example, as he won the Worlds and Europeans in the time trial discipline; and finished an isolated second place behind Tadej Pogacar at the road race Worlds, Europeans and also Il Lombardia. In the absence of the Slovenian, Evenepoel would've achieved an historic run of results.

But his presence at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, as was the case with Sagan's, is not only about himself. A rider who is constantly on the spotlight, his presence will remove the spotlight from other riders who look to develop at their own rhythm and away from the chaos that several riders face - Evenepoel being no stranger to it too.

"We have a lot of young riders. Florian Lipowitz, for example, is happy that Remco has taken the pressure off him. And that pressure is definitely there, because we want to be one of the most attractive teams. That's why the whole world is watching us, whether we win or not," Denk explains.

But Evenepoel is capable of performing, and that is expected of this year. Denk wants the Belgian to have a simple season with concrete objectives: "Last season, Remco missed almost the entire spring. That's why he needs a consistent and stable year now in his buildup to the Tour."

"There's a chance of crashes. In the classics, you're also dependent on the weather. But for a Flemish guy like Remco, it's a must to ride the Tour someday," he concluded.