WorldTour
From Rookie to Pro: Sebastian Putz steps up to the WorldTour
After two years with the Rookies, Sebastian Putz will join the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe WorldTeam next season.
His promotion is an example of how riders can make the transition from the development ranks to the professional level within the team’s own structures.
The 23-year-old Austrian already balanced U23 and elite racing during the past season, spending around a third of his race days with the WorldTour squad. He concluded his racing year with the Eneco Tour and was also part of the team that supported Laurence Pithie’s overall victory at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. His elite programme also included several one-day races in Belgium and France.
Sebastian Putz
© Werner Müller-Schell
If I do my job so well that both the riders and the management are happy, then I’ve achieved my goal.
With results such as second place at the Istrian Spring Tour, Sebastian Putz demonstrated that he is capable of competing for victories himself. However, as a neo-pro with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, his initial role will be that of a versatile and reliable domestique.
Sebastian Putz: “I’ve learned an incredible amount during my two years with the Rookies. The mixed racing programme gave me good preparation for this next step. Of course, it would be great to win a race myself at some point. But I know that I’m joining the WorldTour as a domestique, and that’s exactly the role I want to fulfil. If I do my job so well that both the riders and the management are happy, then I’ve achieved my goal.”
