"Trying to understand where they stand as riders" – Red Bull's challenge balancing GC hopes of Roglic, Evenepoel, Lipowitz, Pellizzari, Martinez, Hindley & Vlasov in 2026

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s new team manager Zak Dempster has opened up on the scale of the challenge facing him in 2026: managing a roster so deep in Grand Tour potential that internal competition could become as fierce as the battles against Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

Speaking in an interview with Daniel Benson, Dempster outlined his early impressions after stepping into one of the most high-pressure roles in men’s cycling. The Australian inherits a line-up featuring Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari, Daniel Martinez, Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov — a group with the potential of fighting for victory in any three-week race.

“I’m trying to understand what the Giro and the Vuelta look like, where they stand as riders, and how we can maximise their winning potential,” Dempster told Benson.

Rather than designating a single clear leader for each Grand Tour, Dempster suggested that the team’s approach will be more fluid — one that adapts to form, race profiles and the strengths of their versatile GC roster.

“We have a great group of guys, and Vlasov is also there, along with Remco and Lipo. If we want to win Grand Tours or secure a podium place, we have a selection that can do that. I think if we do that, it will be with joint leadership strategies,” he explained to Benson.

That could mean Evenepoel and Lipowitz sharing top billing at a major tour in 2026, while Roglic, now the most experienced of the group, may see a race programme designed around the events that best suit his strengths. “Primoz, like the names I mentioned, is one of our top riders,” Dempster added. “It’s about how they are intertwined at the moment.”

Reflecting on Roglic’s past season, Dempster described 2025 as “a challenging one” but still “a lot to celebrate”, pointing to the Slovenian’s form in Catalonia and the resilience he showed through a disrupted year.

Looking ahead, the Australian said the team will wait for the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espan a routes before finalising who rides where. “We’re going to focus on making a plan for him that will allow him to win the most important races, and that includes the most important WorldTour events and one or two Grand Tours,” he told Benson.

Whatever combination Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe sends to the Tour de France, the mission remains the same: finding a way past the two dominant forces of the era. Dempster, however, sees room for optimism.

“I am really optimistic about the improvements we can make,” he said. “We have discovered things that indicate we can reach a higher level. Everyone is pretty sure that Pogacar will win easily, but we were all pretty sure that Vingegaard would beat him until he came back with a new approach.”

As Dempster’s first full season as sports director approaches, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s strength in depth looks both a blessing and a test of management. If he can balance the ambitions of Evenepoel, Roglic and Lipowitz within one cohesive plan, 2026 could mark the year the team truly joins the sport’s elite Grand Tour powerhouses.