The cycling season has only just started and many students still have to start their first day of school with their (new) employer, but it is already clear that Red Bull’s entry into cycling is not going smoothly. The next transfer period in particular would undergo a transformation. But is that expectation pattern correct?
The energy drink giant is of course no stranger to the pack.
In recent years, it has studied potential investments with teams several times, has already put a few pawns on the chessboard with the Red Bull Junior Brothers scouting program and has also concluded individual partnerships.
No one is surprised anymore that Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock race with a Red Bull helmet.
But now that Red Bull has chained itself to Bora-Hansgrohe, the German press in particular is insinuating that a marriage between our compatriot and/or the British all-rounder with the German team is written in the stars.
Dries Smets, seasoned in cycling, does not defend the interests of any of the quoted riders as an agent, but judges from his experience that 1 plus 1 will not easily make 2.
Van Aert and Pidcock have contracts with their teams and an individual partnership with Red Bull, but one is not necessarily linked to the other.
real estate agent Dries Smets about the rumor mill
“It really seems too simplistic to me to say that Van Aert and Pidcock will move to Bora-Hansgrohe quickly,” says Smets.
“Van Aert and Pidcock have a contract with their teams and an individual partnership with Red Bull, but one is not necessarily linked to the other.”
“Red Bull will own 51 percent of Bora-Hansgrohe. They will want to expand that team and perhaps they will want to phase out individual agreements.”
“But I would not say that Van Aert or Pidcock will de facto end up with the German team. Especially because there are still ongoing commitments with their current teams.”
Thanks to a personal deal, Pidcock and Van Aert are two of Red Bull’s flagships.
According to the available information, Wout van Aert is still under contract with Visma-Lease a Bike until 2026, Tom Pidcock has signed with Ineos Grenadiers until 2027.
Van Aert’s management did not want to respond to our request to discuss the possible impact on the personal Red Bull contract.
According to our sources, it would be a sponsorship deal with Red Bull Belgium, while the new collaboration with Bora-Hansgrohe has an international flavor.
Roglic’s backpack
Anyway, for the time being Van Aert and Pidock seem at most to be in the (distant) future. Primoz Roglic did clean the plate at Visma-Lease a Bike for a multi-million deal at Bora-Hansgrohe.
The stunt transfer of the Slovenian was quickly linked to the (then) sniffing of Red Bull, but team manager Ralph Denk denied this completely at the time.
According to the ambitious German, the transfer was financed with his own resources, a piggy bank that Bora had created.
That explanation does raise questions. Why had Bora never used that war chest before and was that piggy bank so well filled that a million-dollar salary (approximately 5 million euros) and a lump sum payment for Roglic (there is talk of 3 million euros) could be put on the table without any problems?
For a company like Red Bull, those sums are peanuts. During the contract negotiations, Roglic was also spotted in Red Bull’s Performance Center in Salzburg. The writing is on the wall, right?
I understood from the wings that Red Bull was behind the wheel and that it has made a financial effort for Primoz Roglic. That is the first sign of the team’s financial strength
real estate agent Dries Smets
Real estate agent Smets: “I suspect so, even though I am not an involved party in this case.”
“But I understood from the wings that Red Bull was behind the wheel and that it has made a financial effort. That is a first sign of the team’s financial strength.”
“Don’t forget that Roglic’s story is one of a former ski jumper,” sports marketer Wim Lagae points out.
“After a heavy fall, he turned out to have a talent for cycling during his rehabilitation. He actually has a Red Bull story in his backpack and it is not so coincidental that Roglic will help color the whole picture.”
Primoz Roglic was the monster transfer from Bora-Hansgrohe last fall.
Pervers effect
And so we automatically arrive at perhaps the most important part of the Red Bull deal: money. Many international agents predict that the peloton transfer market will be more buzzing with energy than ever.
“There will be an impact, but we should not overestimate it,” Smets immediately qualifies.
“The cycling economy runs on about 30 teams. It does not mean that the entire cycling world is turned upside down if 1 team implements a budget increase.”
“That one team will indeed be able to achieve more and they will make use of that, but a team can only consist of a maximum of 30 riders.”
“It is not the case that Bora-Hansgrohe can suddenly buy the entire platoon.” It must be said: officially the German team only has 10 riders under contract for 2025.
Red Bull may mainly ensure that the gap widens between the teams with strong budgets and the teams at the bottom of the WorldTour ladder. You have to ensure that everyone can continue to follow.
real estate agent Dries Smets
Will the riders benefit from this evolution? Will their pay slip soon skyrocket?
“For riders and agents, the salary is the deciding factor,” says sports economist Lagae. “We must therefore wait and see how long Red Bull’s exploratory round will last. It is still in full swing and they are careful with communication. So we do not yet know how great the growth acceleration will be.”
“It will certainly not have a negative impact,” estimates broker Smets, “but it may mainly widen the gap between the teams with strong budgets and the teams at the bottom of the WorldTour ladder.”
“Riders can benefit financially, but you have to ensure that the entire peloton can continue to follow.”
“It would be a shame if teams were outcompeted and became less competitive, causing their sponsors to leave in the long term because it was more difficult for them to achieve results. Then you would have a perverse effect.”
“If a G5 steals everything, it will become a boring affair. We need all the teams for a healthy cycling economy and we must ensure that everyone stays on board.”
With acquisition Sam Welsford, Bora-Hansgrohe has already won 3 stages in the Tour Down Under.
“I try to put it into perspective,” adds our commentator Christophe Vandegoor about potential collateral damage.
“A top company is now joining the race. Embrace that fact, I would say. View it as something positive.”
“The question about possible dangers was also asked at the time when Sky came along. Something like that can distort the market, but we continue to complain.”
“The fact that such a player stands out against a smaller team is simply a law of the market. The better elements go to where the money is. And at a certain point the market will recover. You can only welcome fresh capital. .”
“But on the other hand, look at Ineos: despite all that money, they have been looking for a leader for the Grand Tours for a while and they still haven’t found one. So it’s not that easy.”
“I don’t know if it will all go that fast. It is not the case that 1,000 applications will suddenly come in at Red Bull. The soup is not eaten as hot as it is served.”
Specialized
The transfer period in the peloton has actually only just ended and new deals may not be officially confirmed until August 1, but the fire is already starting to smolder, as Dries Smets also feels.
“Although that is a result of a general trend, something we have been feeling for 2 to 3 years now. People start to feel their way much earlier in the season. Teams are already looking to the future, because they do not want to miss out on the new goldcrests. .”
“So there is already some anticipation for 2025, but I don’t really link that to Red Bull joining.”
“Again: we should not overestimate it all. I read articles about Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel who are linked to Bora-Hansgrohe, but that is very simplistic.”
Are Evenepoel and Van Aert both on Bora-Hansgrohe’s radar?
“That story was a good laugh, as I know from their management,” our commentator confirms. “Certainly with Van Aert, who feels very good with his team.”
At Evenepoel – under contract until 2026 – there is a hook. “He is an ambassador for Specialized and Bora-Hansgrohe also races with that American bicycle brand.”
“Until when will he stay at Soudal-Quick Step after last year’s mess? You might already have half a marriage there.”
Related:
2024-01-31 05:52:19
#Van #Aert #Pidcock #Evenepoel #team #higher #budget #turn #entire #cycling #world #upside
