"We want to be the best in every way" - Ralph Denk doesn't hold back about Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe ambitions
Cycling
At Red Bull, they don't make half-baked decisions. And so their investment in Ralph Denk's BORA - hansgrohe can only signal one thing. To become the best.
While the team will considerably strengthen for next season (Tratnik, Pithie, Van Dijke twins, Pellizzari), some riders also must go. One such case is Lennard Kämna whose loss saddened Denk a bit. "I don’t know that Lennard is going to Lidl-Tek but for sure he will not continue with us," Denk confirmed to Cyclingnews. "I’m a little sad about the way his agent treated us but we just wish Lennard all the best for the future and we hope he can recover and race in the new Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe colours before the end of his contract."
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"We want to be the best," he said. "We want to be the best in every way. We want to have sporting success, that’s the biggest thing, but we also want to help more people get into cycling at every level. We want to make the sport better too and also have some fun. We’ll think out of the box and so perhaps work across different kinds of cycling. Red Bull is in mountain biking and gravel too."
On their quest to become world's no. 1, it'll be important to set up an academy - a feeder team where they'll be able to grow the up and coming talent under the supervision of main team coaches. For that purpose U23 formation consisting of 12 names will be funded in 2025. We can only expect the best young riders from both Auto Eder (Bora's U19 project) and outside to give a foundation stone.
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"The important thing is to win and how you win, it’s not about nationality," Denk explained. "Look at Red Bull in Formula 1. They’re based in Austria but are a global brand. I think they’re happy to have Max Verstappen as their leader. We have to find the Max Verstappen of cycling. That’s our goal."
"Big changes are coming," Denk repeated. "This is just the start. The deal was only signed in May. It’s a step-by-step process, as always with my teams." Red Bull now owns 51% of the team, however Denk will remain in the charge of the German formation for the time being. "Red Bull bought control of the team with a long-term plan. Their intentions are very serious and so are those of the team."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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