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“Lucky 13”: The success story to our 13th Tour de France
In 2026, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe lines up for the Tour de France for the 13th time. Even in elite sport, there’s always room for a little superstition.
In a world driven by meticulous planning, data analysis and marginal gains, luck, chance and the unexpected still have the power to shape the outcome. That’s what makes sport so captivating. The number 13 has always carried a certain mystique. In cycling, it comes with its own traditions: many riders wear race number 13 upside down in the hope of attracting good fortune.
Start number 13 at the 2019 Tour de France
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For Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, however, 13 has long been a lucky number. Remco Evenepoel claimed his first professional victory wearing race number 13 – and so did Florian Lipowitz.
The Tour de France has already produced plenty of memorable “13” moments for our team. Stage 13 of our debut Tour became the breakthrough day. In 2018, we celebrated our first-ever win on a Stage 13. A year later, we raced with bib number 13 - and it proved to be a lucky charm: Peter Sagan claimed his record-breaking Green Jersey, while the team came closer than ever to the overall podium in Paris.
Our 13th Tour de France is the perfect opportunity to look back at the previous twelve editions. Day by day, we’ll revisit another chapter in the Tour history of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
Bonus: Ralph Denk’s Daily Tour Podcast
Alongside our daily look back at the team’s Tour de France history, CEO Ralph Denk once again shares his daily perspective from inside the race. Originally recorded in German and made available to our international fans with the help of AI translation, his daily Tour podcast offers first-hand insights into each stage, the key decisions, and life behind the scenes at cycling’s biggest event. You can also explore all episodes from the previous season right here.
2025: New Heights – A double premiere featuring a debutant
Before the 13 comes the 12. And even though that somewhat dubious ‘lucky number’ was only due to make an appearance during this year’s Tour – things have certainly been going quite well so far – it will be a challenge to surpass the 2025 Grande Boucle. Although the hoped-for stage victory eluded them last year too, apart from that it was a historic tour for the team, which ultimately prompted Ralph Denk to say: “Standing here in Paris with this result is a great moment for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, but also for me personally. It’s another step on the path to eventually winning the yellow jersey.”
Standing here in Paris with this result is a great moment for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, but also for me personally.
Primož Roglič returned to the Tour as team captain and found himself with a top-class support rider at his side who would go on to surpass himself over the course of the three weeks. Yet even Florian Lipowitz did not get off to the best start in the world’s most important cycling race. As early as the first stage around Lille, both lost several seconds on the echelons, and further time was lost on the fourth stage in Rouen.
For the German, at least, the time trial the following day marked a turning point. Finishing sixth in the time trial, he made up ground on many of the general classification contenders, including Primož Roglič. The GC saw the pair in 8th and 9th places, separated by just one second. The hilly north of France still had a few surprises in store. Although the race had not yet encountered any real mountains, the gaps in the general classification were already significant.
Florian Lipowitz third on Hautacam
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In the Massif Central, nothing seemed set to change at first. Then came the Pyrenees, then came Hautacam. And then came Florian Lipowitz. The German, then aged 24, put in an incredible performance on the long and steep final climb of Stage 12. Once again, the high-flyer Tadej Pogacar was out of reach. Jonas Vingegaard was only a few seconds faster. But apart from him, no one else was – not even Primož Roglič. Both moved up the general classification, with the former biathlete – competing in the Tour for the first time – climbing to fourth place. Hautacam laid the foundations for everything that was to follow.
The following day saw the mountain time trial from Peyragudes. Primož Roglič, finishing third on the day just ahead of his team-mate, marked a comeback, though this was overshadowed in the second mass-start stage in the Pyrenees by Florian Lipowitz moving up to third in the general classification following the withdrawal of – of all people – Remco Evenepoel on the Col du Tourmalet and another strong climbing performance of his own in Luchon-Superbagnères, and also took the white jersey as the best young rider. For the next week, the task was to defend this result. With every man on deck – including Primož Roglič, who jumped to fifth place in the general classification on Stage 16 on Mont Ventoux.
Whilst Jordi Meeus narrowly missed out on the stage win in Valence on the 18th stage, finishing second in the sprint, the gruelling Alpine stage to Courchevel proved the toughest test for Florian Lipowitz, who, showing great fighting spirit, managed to preserve a few seconds of his lead over fourth-placed Oscar Onley. In La Plagne, on the final Alpine stage, he was then able to extend that lead slightly with another magnificent performance, finishing just four seconds behind Pogacar and Vingegaard. Primož Roglič, on the other hand, went all out in the battle for the stage win, but lost three places in the general classification in the process.
At the end of the day, a result like this isn’t just down to me, but is also a team effort.
Nothing was to change in the run-up to Paris. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe finished a Tour de France on the podium and in the white jersey for the first time. Florian Lipowitz said: “It was a tough three weeks. All I wanted was to make it safely to the finish. Overall, there were plenty of ups and downs; the start wasn’t exactly ideal. But we got into our stride and grew closer and closer as a team. Because, at the end of the day, a result like this isn’t just down to me, but is also a team effort. That’s why I’d like to say thank you to everyone once again. Ultimately, we’re riding through France for three weeks, but there’s a lot more to it than that in terms of preparation. That’s why I’m simply happy that everything worked out so well and that we can celebrate third place.”
Florian Lipowitz on the podium of the Tour de France 2025
© Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool
01
2024: A new era begins with a stroke of bad luck
In 2024, the team was already making the big headlines even before the race. Shortly before the Grand Départ in Florence, Ralph Denk officially announced Red Bull’s arrival as the new main sponsor.
Red Bull will become the title sponsor in 2024.
© Red Bull Content Pool
“Today, as Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, we are opening a new chapter in our team’s history. I would even go so far as to say that this is a milestone for the entire sport of cycling. Our project has always been ambitious, but now we have our sights firmly set on the top; we want to shape our sport and become the most attractive brand.”
Today, as Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, we are opening a new chapter in our team’s history.
It was to be expected that new structures, new expertise and the increased financial scope would not be immediately implemented or evident. Nevertheless, from a sporting perspective, the Tour de France certainly did not go as hoped.
A new Tour captain, Primož Roglič, had joined the team for the new season. And the start of the race looked very promising indeed. After the time trial on Stage 7, which the Slovenian finished third, he moved up to fourth place in the general classification and was thus within striking distance of the podium. But then disaster struck. On Stage 9, which featured several gravel sections, Aleksandr Vlasov crashed. He was unable to start the following day.
Then it was Primož Roglič’s turn. On Stage 12, he was caught up in a mass crash just a few kilometres from the finish. Just the day before, he had slipped on the descent – the very same descent where, two years later, during Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s 13th Tour appearance, Remco Evenepoel would catch up with the Pogacar chasers shortly before the stage finish in Le Lioran and, moments later, launch the sprint that saw him finish second. Luck and misfortune are sometimes very close together.
Following several crashes, Primož Roglič withdraw from the 2024 Tour.
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For Primož Roglič, however, it marks the beginning of the end of his first Tour de France in his new colours. He will not be starting stage 13 – yes, there have been less celebratory moments associated with that number too. Without two of its strongest climbers, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe can only try to limit the damage. Jai Hindley joined the breakaway groups on the remaining mountain stages, whilst Danny van Poppel tried to make his mark in the sprint. As a result, they still managed to secure the odd top-10 finish.
2023: Historic triumph on the Champs-Élysées and a return to the yellow jersey
What had to be put on the back burner the previous year didn’t take long to materialise in 2023. Tour captain Jai Hindley was already in top form for the Grand Départ in the Basque Country and didn’t put a foot wrong there. That would pay off on the first day in the Pyrenees.
Stage 5 ran from Pau to Laurens. Two tough climbs, a flat finish – so early in the race, it was a perfect day for a breakaway. Around 40 riders wanted to be part of it. Jai Hindley and Emanuel Buchmann, however, didn’t really intend to be. And yet, in the end, they found themselves in the group, just like Patrick Konrad. “I sort of slipped into it and just wanted to have some fun. I couldn’t see the peloton behind me anymore, so I thought, let’s have a race.”
Jai Hindley in the yellow jersey at the 2023 Tour de France
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With the help of his team-mates, the Australian not only delivered a superb performance but also a doubled success. After breaking away from his last pursuers on the final climb, the Col du Marie Blanque, Jai Hindley rode solo not only to the stage victory but also, under the watchful eyes of his family – “I saw my parents at the start of the final climb; that was very emotional for me” – into the yellow jersey.
For the first time since stage 2 in 2018, when Peter Sagan took the overall lead in the Tour de France for a single day, a BORA – hansgrohe rider has once again made it to the top. This gruelling effort meant that Jai Hindley, too, had to relinquish the yellow jersey after just one day. In Paris, he finished seventh, securing his second consecutive top-10 result.
BORA – hansgrohe did, however, make another appearance on the podium on the final day. And it was at least as unexpected as Jai Hindley’s presence in the breakaway from Laruns. Jordi Meeus rode the sprint of his life, relegating Jasper Philipsen to second place and winning what remains to this day the last mass sprint on the Champs-Élysées, after a time trial in Nice and the climb up Montmartre stole the limelight from the sprinters in the years that followed.
Jordi Meeus wins on the Champs-Élysées
© Getty Images
For Jordi Meeus, it was his breakthrough – his first WorldTour victory. He later described the feeling as “indescribable”. For BORA – hansgrohe, it was a sign that the team had not yet lost its versatility.
02
2022: Eleven seconds from yellow, and a GC step forward
The 2022 Tour de France was BORA-hansgrohe’s first Tour after Peter Sagan’s departure, and the team arrived with a different identity. The focus was no longer built around green. After Jai Hindley’s Giro d’Italia victory earlier that season, and with Aleksandr Vlasov also lining up at the Tour, the team looked increasingly like a squd reshaping itself around Grand Tour ambitions.
The race did not bring a stage win, but it did bring one of the most striking near misses of the team’s Tour history. On stage 10 from Morzine to Megève, Lennard Kämna joined the breakaway. The stage was won by Magnus Cort in a photo finish ahead of Nick Schultz, but behind that result, another story was developing. As the break gained time, Kämna became a threat to Tadej Pogačar’s yellow jersey.
At the finish, he had moved to second overall. He was only 11 seconds behind Pogačar. The margin made the result both impressive and painful. “I didn’t expect in the end that I would be so close to the yellow jersey,” Kämna said afterwards, admitting the disappointment of almost taking it and ending the day with no tangible reward.
Lennard Kämna in the break on Stage 7 of the 2022 Tour de France
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For the team, the emotion was obvious. Ralph Denk called it bittersweet and said, “I can’t remember the last time a German was so close to yellow after 10 stages.” It was a very specific kind of Tour moment: not a victory, but close enough to feel like one had briefly been within reach.
The second part of the team’s 2022 Tour story belonged to Vlasov. His race was far from smooth. He crashed on stage 6 and then lost time on the following day’s finish at La Super Planche des Belles Filles. But the team did not abandon its GC plan.
Vlasov and Konrad on Stage 17 of the 2022 Tour de France
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By the end of the race, Vlasov had climbed to fifth overall. It was not a podium, and it did not carry the immediate drama of a stage win. But for the team, it mattered. It confirmed that it could leave the Sagan era and still be relevant deep into the Tour’s final classification.
That is the story of 2022: a year without the obvious trophy, but with a clear direction. Kämna came within 11 seconds of yellow. Vlasov finished fifth in Paris. BORA-hansgrohe may not have won a stage, but it started to show the shape of its next Tour de France identity.
03
2021: The Tour after Sagan, and the breakaway double
The 2021 Tour de France could have become a story about what BORA-hansgrohe had lost. Peter Sagan, for years the team’s central Tour figure, had crashed on stage 3 and continued with a worsening knee injury. He didn’t make it to the start line of Stage 12.
That could have left a hole in the team’s Tour. Instead, the same day became one of its strongest. Stage 12, from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes, was shaped by crosswinds, aggression and a breakaway that finally stayed clear. Nils Politt was part of the move and, with around 12 kilometres remaining, he attacked from the front group. He rode alone into Nîmes to take his first Tour de France stage victory.
That could have left a hole in the team’s Tour. Instead, the same day became one of its strongest.
“It’s unbelievable,” Politt said at the finish. “It’s a dream to win a stage at the Tour de France.” The timing made the win feel even bigger. We lost Sagan this morning. By the afternoon, we had a Tour stage win.
Nils Politt wins Stage 12 of the 2021 Tour de France
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Five days later, Patrick Konrad gave the team another stage victory. Stage 16 from Pas de la Case to Saint-Gaudens came after the second rest day and sent the race back into the mountains. Konrad, wearing the Austrian national champion’s jersey, made the breakaway and then attacked on the Col de Portet-d’Aspet. He rode the final part of the stage alone and held off the chasers to win by 42 seconds.
For Konrad, it was not only a Tour stage victory. It was his first WorldTour win. “This is my first win in the WorldTour and it comes at the world’s biggest cycling race,” he said afterwards.
Patrick Konrad wins Stage 16 of the 2021 Tour de France
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Together, the two victories gave BORA-hansgrohe a powerful Tour narrative. Politt and Konrad did not win through controlled sprint trains or a dominant GC structure. They won by reading the race, taking a chance, and committing. Both victories were solo wins from breakaways. Both came about by riders taking their opportunity with conviction.
The 2021 edition of the race is significant in the team’s Tour history for this reason. It was the year the race could have been defined by Sagan’s absence, but instead became proof of the team’s depth. BORA-hansgrohe had been built in the public imagination around one of the sport’s biggest stars. In 2021, when that star left the race, the team was still able to win, twice.
04
2020: Kämna’s lesson, and the win that followed
The 2020 Tour de France was unusual before it even began. Postponed into late summer and raced in a disrupted season, it carried a different atmosphere from the start. For BORA-hansgrohe, the defining story was not a jersey or a long-running classification battle. It was Lennard Kämna’s response to disappointment.
The first part came on stage 13 to Puy Mary. Kämna was in the decisive breakaway with teammate Maximilian Schachmann. The team had numbers, but Daniel Martínez (at the time still riding for EF Pro Cycling) eventually took the win. On the steep final climb, Kämna tried to drop the Colombian rider, knowing that arriving together would be dangerous. He attacked, but Martínez held on, and went on to cross the line first.
Lennard Kämna takes second on Stage 13 of the 2020 Tour de France
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Afterwards, Kämna was clear about the problem. “I wanted to drop Martinez because I’m not the fastest sprinter,” he said. It was both an explanation and a lesson. The legs had been good enough to win a Tour stage. The situation, however, was not favourable to him in the end.
Four days later, on stage 16 from La Tour-du-Pin to Villard-de-Lans, Kämna put that lesson into action. The stage suited the breakaway, with climbing spread across the day and enough difficulty in the finale to reward strong legs. Kämna made the move, read the race, and this time refused to let it come down to a sprint.
When Richard Carapaz slowed, Kämna saw his moment. He attacked, went clear and committed fully to the solo move. There was no hesitation, no waiting and no repeat of Puy Mary. He rode alone to Villard-de-Lans and won the stage, taking his first Tour de France stage victory and his first Grand Tour stage win.
The emotion afterwards was obvious. “I feel great. It was an absolutely awesome day for me,” he said. He also described the victory as “a big relief” for himself and the team.
Lennard Kämna wins Stage 16 of the 2020 Tour de France
© Getty Sport
That mattered. BORA-hansgrohe’s Tour had not followed the familiar script of Peter Sagan in green. Sagan’s long run of Tour dominance in the green jersey competition was not to be this year, with the Slovak rider finishing second in that classification in Paris. But Kämna’s win gave the team something different: a glimpse of a younger rider shining in the biggest race in the world.
The beauty of the story is its simplicity. Kämna lost one Tour stage because he could not compete with Martínez in the finale. Four days later, he made sure he arrived alone. It was not just a victory. It was a lesson learned, courage and proof that a near miss can become the beginning of the winning move.
05
2019: Sagan’s record and Buchmann’s breakthrough
The 2019 Tour de France gave BORA-hansgrohe two different stories at once. One belonged to Peter Sagan, who turned the green jersey into his personal territory and broke one of the race’s great classification records. The other belonged to Emanuel Buchmann, who rode quietly into the general classification fight and finished fourth overall.
Sagan arrived at the Tour chasing a seventh points classification. He had already won green six times, sharing the record with Erik Zabel, and the 2019 race was his chance to finally surpass the record. The first days brought near misses rather than a win, including second place on the opening stage in Brussels. But Sagan didn’t panic. He just needed a few more chances, and the right positioning and timing.
The victory came on stage 5 in Colmar. The 175 kilometre stage through the Vosges included four categorised climbs and reduced the field before the sprint. In the finish, Sagan defeated Wout van Aert and Matteo Trentin to take the 12th Tour stage victory of his career.
Afterwards, his explanation was almost understated. “You just have to be patient and the victory will come,” he said, while also thanking his teammates for their work. It was a typical Sagan line because it made an extraordinary standard sound ordinary.
It was a typical Sagan line because it made an extraordinary standard sound ordinary.
By Paris, he had done what he came to do. His seventh green jersey broke Zabel’s record and made him the most successful rider in the history of the points classification. He called standing on the Champs-Élysées podium in green “a privilege and an honor,” especially as it was for a record-breaking seventh time.
Peter Sagan wins the green jersey in Paris at the 2019 Tour de France
© Getty Sport
But BORA-hansgrohe’s 2019 Tour was not only about Sagan. In addition, Buchmann was riding the best Grand Tour of his career. The German climber came into the race as a top-ten contender, but as the mountains unfolded, his ambition changed. “I was hoping for a top 10 and now, I’m fighting with the best,” he said during the third week.
He carried that fight all the way to Paris, and finished fourth overall, 1:56 behind Tour winner Egan Bernal, just missing the podium but confirming himself among the race’s strongest GC riders.
For the team, 2019 was a bridge year. Sagan delivered the record-book headline, but Buchmann showed that BORA-hansgrohe could also seriously contend in the battle for the yellow jersey. One rider represented the team’s established identity. The other pointed towards what it could become.
Emanuel Buchmann on Stage 18 of the 2019 Tour de France
© Getty Sport
06
2018: Sagan, green, and the Tour he had to survive
In 2018, Peter Sagan was one of the defining riders of the Tour de France. For BORA-hansgrohe, he was a collector of stage wins, a points-classification specialist, and one of the few riders in the sport capable of turning almost any finish into a story.
That year, the story began immediately. On stage 2 to La Roche-sur-Yon, Sagan won from a reduced group after a late crash disrupted the sprint. But it brought not only a stage victory. It also put him into the yellow jersey, giving BORA-hansgrohe one of the most memorable images of the Tour’s opening weekend.
Peter Sagan in the yellow jersey after Stage 2 of the 2018 Tour de France
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Three days later, the race reached Quimper, and Sagan won again. Stage 5 was never a pure sprinters’ day. It was rolling, technical and uphill enough to remove some of the fastest men from the equation, but not hard enough to take Sagan out of it.
By stage 13 in Valence, after three demanding days in the Alps, the race’s field of sprinters was diminished. But Sagan was still there. He won the bunch sprint ahead of Kristoff and Démare, taking his third stage victory of the race. Afterwards, he summed up the value of the day simply: “Today’s stage was like a piece of gold for us.”
At that point, his grip on the green jersey looked almost complete. But the Tour rarely lets even its strongest stories travel untouched to Paris. On stage 17, Sagan crashed heavily on the descent of the Col de Val Louron-Azet. He finished the stage bandaged and battered, far behind the winner, and admitted that it would have been easy to stop.
Instead, he continued. That changed the meaning of the final few days of the race. Sagan no longer needed to prove he was the strongest in the points competition. He also needed to reach Paris.
When he finally did, the green jersey felt less like a routine confirmation and more like a survival story. In Paris, he said he was “happy to be alive and in green,” a line that captured the full arc of his Tour.
For BORA-hansgrohe, the 2018 Tour was Sagan at full strength, but not in a simple way. It brought three stage victories, yellow in the first week and green in Paris. It also brought pain, uncertainty and a reminder that even the most reliable winner in the race still had to fight his way to the Champs-Élysées.
Peter Sagan wins the green jersey in Paris at the 2018 Tour de France
© Getty Sport
07
2017: Reaching the top
Finally, we had our first Tour stage win.
2017 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the team’s history. Following its promotion to the UCI WorldTour, BORA – hansgrohe was automatically qualified for the Tour de France for the first time. The days of relying on wildcard invitations were over. After a six-year absence, Germany once again had a team competing in cycling’s top division.
The timing could hardly have been better. Thirty years after the Grand Départ in Berlin, the Tour de France returned to Germany. Düsseldorf became the center of the cycling world as millions of fans lined the roads to celebrate the sport’s biggest race. Right in the middle of it all: BORA – hansgrohe. For the first time as a WorldTeam, and for the first time with the ambition not just to take part, but to compete at the very front.
Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2017 in Düsseldorf
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The first three Tour appearances had laid the foundation. The team had built its reputation through aggressive racing, breakaways, Combativity Awards and its first leader’s jersey. Now, the next milestone was clear: winning a stage at the Tour de France.
That ambition had a name: Peter Sagan. The reigning World Champion joined BORA – hansgrohe ahead of the 2017 season, bringing with him seven Tour stage victories, five Green Jerseys and the iconic rainbow jersey. For the first time, one of the biggest stars in professional cycling was part of the team. The message was unmistakable: BORA – hansgrohe was no longer aiming to surprise the peloton - the team wanted to win.
The opening time trial in Düsseldorf was not the team’s terrain. Their opportunity came two days later. After a tenth-place finish on Stage 2 to Liège, the race headed to Longwy, where a short, steep uphill finish was tailor-made for Peter Sagan.
It became a finale nobody in the team will ever forget. Sagan launched his sprint from the front but, with around 300 meters to go, suddenly slipped out of his pedal. For a split second, victory seemed to be slipping away. Yet the World Champion kept his composure and powered to the line. On 3 July 2017, the team celebrated its first-ever stage victory at the Tour de France.
First stage win for the team at the Tour de France
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Ralph Denk said at the time: “That was a huge moment. When Peter slipped out of the pedal, we thought it was over. But he handled it like only a World Champion can. Finally, we had our first Tour stage win.”
But as the team had already learned in previous years, joy and disappointment are often separated by only a matter of hours. Less than 24 hours later, Peter Sagan was disqualified from the Tour following a race incident - a decision that would later be ruled incorrect. Overnight, the team had lost its leader, and the dream of adding more stage victories suddenly seemed out of reach.
The bike of Peter Sagan
© Getty Images
Giving up, however, was never an option. Two weeks later, one final opportunity remained: the individual time trial in Marseille on the penultimate day. Maciej Bodnar produced the ride of his life to claim victory and deliver another historic first. Following Sagan’s breakthrough success, the Polish rider secured the team’s first-ever Grand Tour time trial victory - an achievement that remains unique in the team’s history.
The first TT victory at a Grand Tour
© Getty Images
And what about the number 13? It stayed quietly in the background throughout 2017. It was a year of firsts: the team’s first Tour as a WorldTeam, its first Tour stage victory and its first Grand Tour time trial win. But just one year later, the lucky number would return to center stage - on Stage 13 of the Tour de France.
08
2016: From underdog to Tour regular.
A third consecutive Tour de France appearance was anything but guaranteed. Once again, the team secured one of the coveted wildcard invitations to cycling’s biggest race. Looking back today, it may seem routine—but ten years ago, every invitation was the result of years of hard work, both on and off the bike.
Promoting the 2017 Grand Depart on the 2016 Tour de France Jersey
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Behind the scenes, everyone already had one eye on the following year, when the Tour would start in Düsseldorf. As Germany’s rising team, BORA – Argon 18 was determined to prove it belonged on cycling’s biggest stage.
The plan worked from kilometer one. On the opening stage, Paul Voss and Jan Barta both made it into the day’s three-man breakaway. Voss claimed maximum points at both classified climbs and pulled on the polka dot jersey. After riders from the team had earned the Combativity Award in each of the previous two Tours, another milestone had been reached: the team’s first leader’s jersey at the Tour de France.
It was no coincidence, but the result of a clear strategy. Smaller teams have to seize opportunities early, animate the race and make themselves visible. That’s exactly what wildcard teams are expected to do—not simply take part, but actively shape the race. BORA – Argon 18 executed that plan to perfection.
Paul Voss celebrating the first KOM jersey
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For the team, it was a historic day. For the first time ever, one of its riders wore a leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour. The iconic polka dot jersey stayed with the team for only a single day, but its significance went far beyond that. The young underdog had evolved into a team capable of influencing the race and making its mark on cycling’s biggest stage.
As the race unfolded, the focus shifted to the next major objective: winning a Tour de France stage. The team continued to animate the race through aggressive breakaways, collected several top-ten finishes and raced confidently alongside the sport’s biggest teams.
The breakthrough victory would still have to wait, but within the team there was a growing sense that it was only a matter of time. In fact, the foundations for the next chapter were already being laid during the Tour itself.
Welcome, hansgrohe!
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The announcement of hansgrohe as a new title sponsor marked the beginning of the team’s next phase of development. Combined with the planned step up to the UCI WorldTour, it meant greater stability, increased resources and, from 2017 onwards, automatic qualification for the Tour de France — no more wildcard invitations. The underdog had officially become a team ready to compete among cycling’s elite.
And what about the number 13? This time, it stayed quietly in the background. After its memorable appearances in 2014 and 2015, perhaps it was simply saving its next big moment for the years to come. With the move to the WorldTour, a new chapter was about to begin — and the next great “13” story was just around the corner.
09
2015: Growing means learning the hard way.
Just one year after a remarkable Tour debut, the team returned to the Tour de France - once again with a wildcard invitation. Much felt familiar, but one thing had fundamentally changed: after the 2014 Tour, it was clear that this team was on the rise.
The most visible change was the new name. NetApp – Endura became BORA – Argon 18, with BORA stepping up as title sponsor. At the Grand Départ in Utrecht, the BORA made a bold statement: a transparent shipping container was lifted high above the city by crane, serving as the venue for the team presentation. The message was unmistakable - this team had big ambitions.
BORA in the air ahead of the Tour de France 2015
© VeloImages
The sporting ambitions had grown as well. German stage-race prospect Dominik Nerz joined the squad to lead another challenge for a top-ten finish in the general classification. At the same time, a new chapter began with the arrival of neo-pro Emanuel Buchmann. Just days before the Tour, he claimed the German national road race title, bringing the black, red and gold champion’s jersey to cycling’s biggest race.
The team arrived with more options than ever before. General classification, stage hunting and sprinting - all were on the agenda. For the first time, the line-up also included a young Sam Bennett, fresh from two stage victories at the Bayern Rundfahrt and widely regarded as one of the sport’s most promising sprinters.
But the 2015 Tour proved to be a tough lesson. Was it because the opening time trial measured 13 kilometers?
Whatever the reason, fortune and misfortune were never far apart. On Stage 3, Jan Barta once again claimed the Combativity Award, just as he had a year earlier. On the very same day, however, Andreas Schillinger was forced to abandon the race. The team was down a rider before the first week was over.
Jan Barta on the Tour de France podium again
© BettiniPhoto
The next setback came on Stage 11, when team leader Dominik Nerz had to withdraw from the race. But it also marked the moment Emanuel Buchmann stepped into the spotlight. In the Pyrenees, he joined the day’s breakaway and finished third atop the 13-kilometer final climb to the Col du Tourmalet, proudly wearing the German champion’s jersey. A new German talent had announced himself on cycling’s biggest stage.
Emanuel Buchmann finishing third
© BettiniPhoto
Where almost the entire squad had reached Paris in 2014, only five riders made it to the Champs-Élysées a year later. The team’s second Tour de France brought fewer celebrations than its first, but an even greater lesson: the Tour is the toughest challenge in professional cycling!
The 2015 Tour de France squad in Paris
© BettiniPhoto
For BORA – Argon 18, 2015 was not a setback—it was another important step on the road to becoming one of the sport’s leading teams.
10
2014: Hello, World. Our Tour de France debut.
It’s a Tour I’ll never forget.
The 2014 Tour de France produced countless memorable stories. One year after the race’s centenary edition, the Grand Départ took place in Yorkshire, where millions of fans lined the roads from Leeds to London over the opening three stages. Among the world’s biggest teams stood a small German squad that had just fulfilled a dream. Only five years after its foundation, NetApp – Endura was making its first appearance at the Tour de France.
There were no superstars in the line-up, but there was talent, determination and ambition. While the established teams travelled with state-of-the-art team buses, NetApp – Endura was still getting around France in a camper van. It was clear: this was the underdog of the race. Yet by Stage 3, the first surprise had already arrived. Jan Barta was awarded the day’s Combativity Prize in London, giving the team its very first appearance on a Tour de France podium. NetApp – Endura had arrived on cycling’s biggest stage.
For the first time on a Tour de France podium
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The impact of the team’s first Tour extended far beyond the race itself. On the first rest day in Besançon, the team announced that BORA would become its new title sponsor from the 2015 season onwards. For the young squad, it was far more than a sponsorship announcement - it was a clear statement of intent and the next milestone in the team’s development. The Tour de France had become not only the stage for its first sporting successes, but also the launching pad for the next chapter of its journey.
Press conference at the first Tour de France
© BrakeThroughMedia
The defining moment came on Stage 13 - of course, Stage 13. On the climb to Chamrousse, Leopold König rode with the race favorites, finishing behind only eventual Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali and Rafal Majka. For the first time, a rider from the team raced to a Tour stage podium. For the first time, a team rider broke into the overall top ten. To top it off, Jan Barta once again claimed the Combativity Award. Even at our very first Tour, it seemed that 13 was already proving to be a lucky number.
Stage 13 - breakthrough at the Tour
© BrakeThroughMedia
With every passing day, belief grew that the impossible might just be possible. The smallest team in the race, competing thanks to a wildcard invitation, was suddenly fighting for a top-ten finish in Paris.
The decisive moment came on the penultimate day in the 54-kilometre individual time trial — the longest Tour time trial of the modern era. Jan Barta set the third-fastest time, while Leopold König finished fifth to move up to seventh overall. A dream had become reality. It was the most successful Tour de France debut ever achieved by a German team and marked the beginning of the success story.
One member of that team is still part of the journey: Zak Dempster. A Tour debutant as a rider in 2014, he is now Chief of Sports at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. From Tour No. 1 to Tour No. 13, his own story mirrors that of the team - a journey that began in Leeds and continues today in Barcelona.
Zak Dempster in the NetApp - Endura jersey
© BrakeThroughMedia
Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, looks back on July 2014: “We had been working towards that moment from day one. The Tour de France is the biggest event in our sport, and when we founded the team, we said our goal was to make it to the Tour. To achieve that so quickly -and then to surprise everyone with our performance at our very first attempt- was something truly special. From the incredible atmosphere in Yorkshire to Leo’s performance and the efforts of Zak and the entire team, it’s a Tour I’ll never forget.”
