"We’re expecting a lot from this tandem" - BORA - hansgrohe excited about the combination of Sam Welsford and Danny van Poppel

Ahead of the 2024 Tour Down Under, BORA - hansgrohe manager Ralph Denk has been speaking about his team's star Australian sprinter, Sam Welsford.

“Okay, he joins the team not as a super, super sprint star but he’s a good sprinter. Our strategy is to put him and Danny Van Poppel side by side, the best lead out in the world - the new Michael Mørkøv," Denk tells GCN. It's that partnership between van Poppel and Welsford that really excites BORA - hansgrohe. "Danny is the best and we’re expecting a lot from this tandem, along with Ryan Mullen. I think Sam Welsford could be our dark horse."

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Looking forward to the Tour Down Under in 2024, Welsford is expected to be a key cog in the team but the rest of the outfit is still to be decided. “It’s not really decided who our leader will be but we’ll go with Sam Welsford for the sprints," Denk says. "That makes sense with him in Australia for the winter. Sam will be our guy for the sprints and for the Willunga Hill, we still have to look around in our roster."

Sam Welsford's 2023 saw him take a big step in his development, taking on his first Grand Tour and adding dour victories to his palmares throughout the campaign.