Red Bull unveils a star-packed line-up led by Roglic ahead of the Tour de France

Earlier this year, Red Bull bought a controlling stake in the German cycling team Bora-Hansgrohe.

“Red Bull’s entry into cycling… it’s really huge. I think with this joint venture we have so much potential in the future,” said team manager Ralph Denk at the team’s official launch in Red Bull’s Hangar-7 -facility. in the Austrian city of Salzburg.

“We have a clear plan to become the most attractive brand in cycling,” Denk said when asked about his vision for the new team. He added that this would include finding “icon riders” and focusing on developing young talents.

In 2025, a new under-23 program will try to bridge the gap between the juniors and the team.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team will compete in dark blue jerseys with the drinks manufacturer’s logo prominently displayed and ride on ‘super aero’ bikes in white.

They will be led by Slovenian all-rounder Primoz Roglic, who previously won the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana and also claimed his second Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month.

Former ski jumper Roglic left Jumbo-Visma to ride for Bora from 2024.

Red Bull’s entry as a new sponsor “is a game changer or a big change for the entire sport of cycling,” said Roglic, whose new contract is reportedly worth six million euros ($6.4 million) a year.

Roglic reaffirmed his ambitions for the Tour, as wearing the yellow jersey was “the goal, the challenge” that everyone in the team worked for.

“We have to go for it,” the 34-year-old added.

The star-packed Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad for the world’s biggest cycling race also includes Australian former Giro winner Jai Hindley and Russian Aleksandr Vlasov.

The Tour de France starts in Florence on Saturday and is expected to be a four-way battle led by bitter rivals Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard on a route designed to push the world’s greatest cycling race to its limits.

Red Bull has invested heavily in the sport to give its brand global exposure; it owns two Formula 1 teams and football clubs, and has also branched out into extreme sports.