Further, ever further: Red Bull is likely to significantly increase its presence in cycling. Image: picture alliance / Roth
With clear calculation: The drinks company’s planned entry into the Bora-hansgrohe team is good news for German cycling. But it also harbors dangers.
How long will it take until a German team wins the Tour de France again? This cannot be reliably predicted 27 years after Jan Ullrich’s victory in 1997 in the magenta jersey of the Telekom team. But one thing is certain after the news that is currently setting the cycling world in motion: Red Bull’s entry into the German professional cycling team Bora-hansgrohe significantly increases the chances of a team from the Federal Republic of triumphing on the Champs-Élysées.
The beverage company wants to take over 51 percent of RD pro cycling GmbH & Co. KG, run by Bora-hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk, and RD Beteiligungs GmbH. Red Bull will therefore not act as a sponsor, but as the majority owner of the operating company and thus as a kind of investor. Even if those responsible have not yet commented on specific plans, this alone shows that the group is pursuing a long-term plan with its entry. As always when he is involved in sports.
