"There was not really a proper leadership in the last years" - Ralph Denk and Red Bull - BORA take advantage of INEOS Grenadiers' struggles

INEOS Grenadiers, over the past two seasons, has saw many of its staff members leave the team. Several of them have headed directly to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, much to its advantage as the German team benefits from what general manager Ralph Denk describes to be the lack of proper leadership.

“Ineos, and before, Sky, was for me always a benchmark team. When I entered pro cycling in 2010, it was also the first year for Team Sky," Denk said in a press conference, as reported by Domestique. "We had totally different budgets, my team and the Team Sky in 2010. First, I had to do my homework to raise my budget, but I can say now that we are more or less comparable, so this is the good thing.”

“They won the Tour de France a lot of times, so definitely they did something very good and right. But in recent years, a lot has changed, not only in the amount of riders it has lost and the lack of capacity to fight for the Grand Tours, but also in the departure of plenty of its staff members," Denk argues. 

Amongst these are none other than Zak Dempster who was directly signed into the head of racing role with BORA after he and Oliver Cookson both left INEOS where they were Sports Directors. Dempster specially was key in the German team's staff changes over the past few months, with the goal of improving its level and also presenting a more attractive offer to Remco Evenepoel.

However it does not stop there, as the team's leading aerodynamics expert Dan Bigham came to BORA after his partnership with INEOS Grenadiers, and most recently the former coach of riders such as Egan Bernal and Carlos Rodríguez, Xabier Artetxe, has also made the move. This could come across as unusual, but Denk sees it as the British team's issue.

“Maybe, and this is just a feeling from my side, there was not really a proper leadership in the last years there," he put it roughly. "And that's why the guys decided to move on and join another project. I cannot really give you an answer why they left INEOS, but the fact is that they were considering to leave INEOS – and so it’s nice for us that guys with this high quality want to join our project.”

The pressure was on, as Dempster himself was asked directly about the British team's struggles. “I think it’s less about an INEOS exodus and more about this whole new performance team, with all different ideas, so we’re in a position where we can create our way. I think it’s a testament to the strength of this project.”

Naturally, he was not going to criticize his former team. But he admits that he enjoys more the role that he has now taken on with BORA, and believes he can make more of a difference. “I loved being a sport director at Ineos, but when the first initial chats with Ralph happened, it was clear my role was going to be different". 

“It’s really more of a helicopter view, looking at the big picture, including recruitment and liaising with the coaching department. I still have a passion for being a sport director, but it was a decision I had to take.”

“In high-performance sport, there’s tough conversations to be had and my style is never to shy away from them," he adds. Certainly, with a team packed with strong leaders such as Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Primoz Roglic, Jai Hindley; and upcoming talent Giulio Pellizzari, there is simply not going to be space for all to lead in the way they hope for in the upcoming season.

Evenepoel and Lipowitz will also ride a similar calendar in 2026 including a season start in Mallorca, the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de France at least. Managing the ambitions of both and keeping tensions low within the team will be a necessity and a challenging task for Dempster.

"In the end, you’ve all got to own that plan. We’re not looking to be the happiest or most comfortable team in the world, that wouldn’t play out how we want. There’s definitely decisions to be made and part of my role is making them.”