WorldTour
La Vuelta: Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe ready for three weeks of opportunity
The team heads to the Vuelta with a versatile lineup and ambitions across the full spectrum of the race.
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Primož Roglič, Finn Fisher-Black, Jordi Meeus, Gianni Moscon, Callum Thornley, Luke Tuckwell, Gianni Vermeersch and Frederik Wandahl will line up in Monaco on 22 August, bringing together Grand Tour experience, sprint speed, climbing strength and tactical range.
The team will support Roglič in his ambitions for the GC, although these will still need to be assessed progressively, after his Vuelta preparations were disrupted by his recent crash.
Stage victories form the other central objective. Meeus offers a clear route on the faster days, while Fisher-Black is suited to more selective finishes, reduced groups and breakaways. Beyond them, the composition of the squad gives the team scope to shape the race in different ways as the terrain changes.
Sven Vanthourenhout, Lead Sports Director, says: “Our main goal is to win a stage, and hopefully more than one if the opportunities are there. Our second major objective is the GC with Primož, but we have to be realistic because his preparation has been very different from what we originally anticipated after his crash. We will assess things step by step. We will support him to achieve the best possible GC result, but we also have to be ready to adapt if necessary.”
Vuelta Lineup
© Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
A measured approach with Roglič
Few riders arrive at La Vuelta with a relationship to the race quite like Roglič’s. His four overall victories place him alongside Roberto Heras as the joint record holder, but past success will not dictate the terms of this year’s campaign. Instead, the first days will offer a clearer measure of what is possible.
“I have a very good history with the Vuelta and I always enjoy racing there,” says Roglič. “Winning it four times is already something I could never have imagined, so I don't want to put extra pressure on myself. We will take it day by day, do everything we can as a team and try to achieve the best possible outcome. I’m looking forward to it.”
Primož Roglič
© Getty Sport
Different routes to stage success
On the faster stages, Meeus will have the chance to pursue his own results while remaining an important part of the wider tactical picture.
“Jordi will have his own opportunities in the sprints, but at the same time he will also be committed to the team effort,” says Vanthourenhout. “We want to give him chances to sprint while making sure that everything fits within the wider objectives.”
Jordi Meeus
© Getty Sport
Fisher-Black presents a different kind of ambition. Returning for his third Vuelta, the New Zealander has the characteristics to make an impact when the race becomes harder to control: from breakaways, reduced groups and selective finales.
“We want Finn to race aggressively, create opportunities and take his chances when they come,” says Vanthourenhout.
Fisher-Black adds: “I feel like I’m coming into the race in good form and I’d like to target stage wins. I always enjoy the Vuelta, so I’m really excited to be back.”
Finn Fisher-Black
© Getty Sport
A first Grand Tour for Tuckwell and Thornley
For Luke Tuckwell and Callum Thornley, the race represents unfamiliar territory. Both will make their Grand Tour debuts, with the three weeks providing as much a test of adaptation and endurance as of outright performance.
“There are so many unknowns with a first Grand Tour that I don't want to put a specific result on it,” says Tuckwell. “My goal is to finish, learn as much as I can and be a good teammate whenever the team needs me.”
Thornley will follow a similarly developmental path, while retaining the freedom to enter breakaways when the circumstances are right. The second individual time trial also stands out as a stage capable of rewarding his strengths.
Luke Tuckwell and Callum Thornley
© Getty Sport
Experience around the group
Gianni Vermeersch and Gianni Moscon bring experience to the line-up. Vermeersch will take on a leadership role on the road, reading difficult race situations and helping to guide the group while remaining capable of going on the offensive himself. Moscon’s responsibilities will lean more towards Roglič, particularly on flat and technically demanding stages where positioning, anticipation and control can matter as much as climbing legs.
Frederik Wandahl completes the lineup and adds another layer of tactical versatility. His ability to read a race gives the team an option both in support and further up the road.
“We are very happy to have Frederik in the team,” says Vanthourenhout. “He has very good tactical race intelligence, and that is something we want to use, whether that means getting into breakaways, taking opportunities or supporting the team. Taking part in a Grand Tour is also a great opportunity for him to develop further.”
There is no single formula for the three weeks ahead. Overall, the squad aims to stay adaptable: pursuing stage victories, assessing Roglič’s GC campaign as it develops, and using the breadth of the lineup according to the demands of each day. For the younger riders, it is also a chance to absorb the particular rhythm of a Grand Tour, and, ideally, emerge from Granada stronger than they arrived in Monaco.
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