Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is currently done on the transfer market. As a result, Remco Evenepoel also knows which teammates will accompany him next year. The maximum squad size is thirty spots, so one place is still open. However, the German team will start the 2026 season with 29 riders, if nothing changes, multiple sources tell WielerFlits.
Of course, newcomer Remco Evenepoel will be the main man from January 1st. Still, the competition within the team is fierce for the Belgian vice world champion. Think, for example, of the season revelation Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in the recent Tour de France. Primož Roglič is also still on board for another year, but insiders indicate that he plans to end his career after 2026. He reportedly rode his last Tour de France last summer.
Vlasov stays (for now)
Is that all? No. Jai Hindley delivered a strong Vuelta a España performance (fourth) and the former Giro d’Italia winner was also fifth in Tirreno-Adriatico. Giulio Pellizzari also made a huge impression in his first year with the German team. The just 22-year-old Italian finished sixth in both the Giro and the Vuelta. Then there are Daniel Felipe Martínez and Aleksandr Vlasov, who have proven themselves in the past as well. However, both had a disappointing 2025.
By the way, the latter climber has explored options to depart since Evenepoel arrived. There was significant interest from his old team XDS Astana, and Vlasov was open to that as well. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was also willing to facilitate that transfer. For unclear reasons, those talks did not result in anything in the end, and the German team assumes he will stay. What role Vlasov and Martínez will have remains unknown.
No Laurenz Rex, but Oier Lazkano
It also seemed a few weeks ago that Laurenz Rex would join the team, pending the merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty (Rex’s current team where he still has an ongoing contract). That is no longer the case. The Classics rider from the German-speaking part of Belgium will not race for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 2026. The same applies to U23 world champion Lorenzo Finn (18). He will only be promoted to the WorldTeam in 2027.
What also stands out is that the team is counting on Oier Lazkano. The 25-year-old Spaniard was the spring revelation of 2024 but failed to make an impact in the classics and seems to have disappeared since Paris-Roubaix. The Spanish sports newspaper Marca asked team director Paxti Vila in early September why Lazkano has been unavailable for such a long time for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, but the former rider refused to respond citing 'team guidelines.'
Belgians and Dutch riders
Besides Evenepoel, the squad includes sprinter Jordi Meeus (the only sprinter left after Sam Welsford’s departure), hill Classics specialist Maxim Van Gils, and newcomer Gianni Vermeersch, all Belgians. Dutch national champion Danny van Poppel is also on board, as well as the Zeeland classics twins Mick and Tim van Dijke. Gianni Moscon still has a valid contract, and the team has yet to officially announce the contract extension for Anton Palzer.
There are many changes within the sporting leadership. Among others, Rolf Aldag and Bernard Eisel are leaving. In their place, Belgian team directors Klaas Lodewyck and Sven Vanthourenhout have joined. Former rider Zakkari Dempster (coming from INEOS Grenadiers) takes charge of the sporting management. Tony Gallopin (Lotto) is also new as a team director, while Oliver Cookson is the new Head of Racing. The Brit is the son of former UCI president Brian Cookson.
