Remco Evenepoel must create Peter Sagan effect within 'Visma squads'

Remco Evenepoel as Peter Sagan
The team was introduced Wednesday at the film location Central Studios in Binissalem on Mallorca, where it became clear that Evenepoel is the absolute star of the team. Team boss Denk portrayed the Belgian in this way on stage. He sees him as the new Peter Sagan for his team. “He was our frontman, our bandleader,” says Ralph Denk. “He took the pressure off the others. In his slipstream, we developed Emanuel Buchmann, Sam Bennett, and Pascal Ackermann. Remco also relieves pressure, even on Florian. Remco is Olympic and world champion.”

“Our best year as a team in terms of wins was the 2019 season,” the team boss continues. “We won 47 times then. Only four of those wins were by Sagan. This is what I hope for again now, that we can have a similar season to that one.”

photo: photo agency Cor Vos

Winning = having fun
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe wants to be the most attractive team in the world. They want to bring joy to fans. “That’s why we have to create momentum,” says Dempster. “Every race is important to us. Winning is fun, it brings pleasure to us and the fans, that’s what we want. For the cobbled classics, we have a young core, but we’ve added stability with, among others, Gianni Vermeersch. It won’t be easy to score in those races, but we will do our best.” That core lost Oier Lazkano, who is involved in a doping case. Nevertheless, it was not a taboo subject, and everyone was free to ask about the Spaniard’s situation. Denk: “That case is not yet closed, so we cannot share too many details.”

The ambitions in the Grand Tours are clear, but also in the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the team does not hide its ambitions. “Regarding the Ardennes: there we have a hell of a team,” says Dempster. “One of the main goals is to win a Monument again. The cobblestone from Peter Sagan from Paris-Roubaix 2018 is in our office, and it’s time for a replacement,” laughs the Australian. “But the bottom line is that we want to win a lot, no matter where. We want to create a mentality that everyone wants to be part of.”

Lipowitz, big star Evenepoel, and old warrior Roglic - photo: photo agency Cor Vos

Giulio Pellizzari and Maxim Van Gils eyeing Roglič’s throne
That winning equals having fun is also reflected in Roglič’s race programme. The 36-year-old Slovenian said that the races pose no problem for him, but his form abandoned him in 2026. Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country are his first races. Without the Giro and Tour, he also hopes to win the Tour of Switzerland, one of the few WorldTour stage races Roglič hasn’t won yet. “Realistically, no Tour but Vuelta is the best plan. I want to enjoy and win races again. I have already succeeded in the Vuelta, so it would be nice to once again fight for the overall win there among the best.”

What stands out is that the Slovenian races hardly - and maybe not at all - with Lipowitz and Evenepoel. According to Roglič, whose contract runs until the end of 2026, this is not a farewell year. “Hopefully not, because I still have a lot of motivation and fun cycling at this level.” Nevertheless, the team seems to be preparing for a departure. Giulio Pellizzari currently stands just below him in the hierarchy, but the Italian top talent is going for the overall win in the Giro d’Italia. Maxim Van Gils also has an important role. He is leader in Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, and La Flèche Wallonne. He also seems almost certain of a place in the Tour selection next summer.

Giulio Pellizzari - ©️ Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe | Maximilian Fries

Strong faith in Danny van Poppel
This does not apply to Danny van Poppel. The Dutch champion wants to proudly display the red-white-blue and no longer wants to be a lead-out for riders who are not classified as top sprinters. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe supports this. They give both Jordi Meeus and Van Poppel chances as finishers. Despite all the big names in the team, considerable investment has been made in the sprint train for both. With Jarrad Drizners, Haimar Etxebarria, and Arne Marit, three names were added to support Van Poppel and Meeus. The Basque rider is the lead-out for Van Poppel.

The latter starts the season immediately at the Tour Down Under, after which he requested not to ride the UAE Tour. He hopes to participate in the finales during the Opening Weekend for the first time in years. Next up in March are Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, and the flatter Belgian classics such as Gent-Wevelgem. Then he gets full space to prepare perfectly for the Giro d’Italia, where he goes as a finisher and is allowed to look for stage wins. “We’re going to try that for a year,” says Van Poppel himself. Therefore, the Tour is out of the picture.

‘Visma Frameworks’
The media day was organized with Deutsche pünktlichkeit. Regarding styling, location, and appearance, nothing was left to the imagination: we are dealing with an absolute top team. The riders confirm this and see the development ongoing within the team. Several of them observed that the team had stagnated somewhat until Red Bull arrived. The new structure since then inspires confidence. After the learning year of 2025, insiders now dare to say that the team has grown into the frameworks of ‘the Visma and UAE idea’. There are more nutritionists and other specialists than there are team directors. Thanks to a bigger budget.