Bora-hansgrohe’s major transfer deal: Can the team win the Tour de France 2024 with Primoz Roglic?
In October the ongoing rumours have been finally confirmed: Primoz Roglic, one of the world’s best riders will change from the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma to Bora-hansgrohe. The Bavarian team Bora-hansgrohe is the only German World Tour Team.
In 2017 Bora-hansgrohe became a UCI world team. In that season Bora also landed the exceptional deal to sign Slovakian, Peter Sagan, winner at the World Road Race Championships in Richmond 2015 and in Doha 2016 and winner of the Green Jersey at the Tour de France in 2014 and 2015. Bora devoted its team goals to the sprint around Peter Sagan, who altogether secured the Green Jersey as the best Tour de France sprinter seven times with 12 stage wins.
Furthermore, the Bora-team went for stage wins and breakaways at the Grands Tours of cycling. The team director Ralph Denk emphasised Bora’s offensive strategy and willingness to attack at different stages in order to provide a good show for their fans.
Bora-hansgrohe consisted of riders who were able to get into breakaway groups. For example, the German rider Nils Politt became part of an early breakaway group at the 12th stage of the 2021 Tour de France. 12 kilometres before the finishing line he started a solo ride winning this stage. Another example is Lennard Kämna, who managed to get into breakaway groups several times at the Tour de France and the Giro.
Ralph Denk points out that Bora-hansgrohe is far from the huge budgets like the ones of Jumbo-Visma or UAE. Although Denk’s team only plays in the midfield of the UCI teams in financial terms, the team has changed its strategy over the years to aim for a podium or even an overall win of a Grand Tour, such as the Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta or The Tour de France.
Ralph Denk clearly states that the team has been more and more building a team towards Bora’s general classification goals at a Grand Tour. A Grand Tour is one of the three major stage races running for three weeks: the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d’Italia. German, Emanuel Buchmann became 4th in the GC of the 2019 Tour de France. Russian, Alexandr Vlasov finished 5th at the 2022 Tour de France. Australian, Jai Hindley wore the yellow jersey for one day during this year’s Tour de France.
The biggest success so far had been Jai Hindleys GC win of the Giro d’Italia in 2022. Expectations were high on Hindley for the 2023 Tour de France but after a crash he tumbled down the top 10.
Therefore, Primoz Roglic’s willingness to leave Jumbo-Visma came at the right time for both sides. With Roglic signing a contract with Bora, his new team will have the three-times winner of La Vuelta and this year’s Giro d’Italia winner in their midst. Roglic is also Olympic Champion (Tokyo 2020) in the time trial and only lost the Tour de France in 2020 on the second last day in the time trial against Tadej Pogacar.
Roglic on the other hand wants to win the Tour de France, something which is still missing in the brilliant career of the 33-year-old Slovenian. Ralph Denk considers this transfer as a landmark for Bora.
In Denk’s opinion the fans want to celebrate the greatest names such as the Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard, the UAE’s Tadej Pogacar and the now Bora’s Primoz Roglic competing against each other in the next edition of the Tour de France.
For Denk Roglic is a role model, especially for the younger riders in the team. A clear orientation to the Tour de France 2024 thus seems possible. The Colombian Daniel Felipe Martínez, formerly of Ineos Grenadiers, will join Bora as well. He would serve Roglic as an excellent climbing domestique. The team could also include Buchmann, another experienced climber, fourth in the 2019 Tour de France, and Kämna during the next Tour de France, or the young Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks, who is regarded as one of the best young riders.
Can Primoz Roglic eventually win the Tour de France? With a strong performance by Roglic Bora-hansgrohe could become the number 3 UCI World Team after Jumbo-Visma and UAE next year.
