"We just can't take six potential stage winners with Remco and Lipo" - Former INEOS DS wants to lead focused BORA for Tour de France GC ambitions
Cycling
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has signed Remco Evenepoel, and the German team desires to be at the very top. At the 2026 Tour de France it will have the Olympic Champion and Florian Lipowitz aiming for a high result, and this will mean a dedicated team must be at the start to support both. Former INEOS Grenadiers DS and current manager at BORA Zak Dempster is part of the team who must choose the ideal set of six riders who will back the duo in a crucial Grand Boucle edition.
The pressure is on. With Lipowitz finishing a breakthrough third place at this year's Tour - winning the youth classification as well - it means that BORA has one strong card; but in Evenepoel you have a strong wildcard. The Belgian was third in 2024, and will have potentially evolved since. He is highly motivated after his move to the German team and has already revealed his full schedule for the spring and summer, a year in which he looks to close the gap to Tadej Pogacar.
The ambition is incredibly high, and at Red Bull - BORA, there is understanding of the task at hand. The team's level should also increase with the entry of such a key figure of the sport's world: "I mean, all boats rise in a high tide; if we've only got eight guys ready for the Tour, then it's going to be an issue," Dempster said in words to Cyclingnews. "You want to a level of, let's say, competition, but at the same time, we need to priorities how we're going to be successful. We just can't take six potential stage winners with Remco and Lipo".
Evenepoel will be in Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's 2026 Tour de France team alongside Florian Lipowitz, which means the team has got to focus fully on its GC men.
Room for a sprinter in the team's lineup?
Hence, it starts to become important to fit all the pieces together ahead of the Tour de France. Besides the two climbers, no other has confirmed presence in the race. Primoz Roglic is a possibility, but not clear, and will aim for the Vuelta a España; whilst Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari head to the Giro d'Italia in a co-leadership.
It's possible that one of the three will be present however. It is likely that Mattia Cattaneo will be present as he followed Evenepoel from Soudal - Quick-Step where he was his right-hand man; Gianni Moscon is also likely to be present as a road captain. But plenty positions are wide open, with many strong riders to fill in the gaps.
Is there room for a sprinter? Danny van Poppel will focus on the Giro d'Italia, but Jordi Meeus could still have his place at the Tour. But this is going to be a tough ask for the Belgian, winner of the Champs-Élysées sprint back in 2023. "Given the way Tour's parcours is, it's going to be difficult, but not impossible, for Jordi to be selected," Dempster admits. "We'll give him the chance to do so, but it's just the way that route is. But definitely, the aim is to have more than eight guys ready."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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