What does the arrival of Red Bull to road cycling imply?

The irruption of Red-Bull in road cycling, after the acquisition of the majority of the shares of Bora-Hasgrohe will be a boost, not only for the German squad but also, surely the goal that the energy drink firm is looking for, for cycling, opening a front for the brand that had barely been tentatively explored with individual sponsorships.

Red Bull bets big on the road

The irruption of Red Bull in race cycling, acquiring 51% of the shares of the Bora-Hansgroe team could be a boost for the world of thin wheels. Beyond the support to the team that, with the roster it has set up for 2024, with Primoz Roglic as the star signing, it is postulated to be among the great squads along with UAE Team Emirates and the untouchable Visma-Lease a Bike, it is also important what the presence of Red Bull means in terms of image and attracting attention to this modality.

While the role that Red Bull will have in Bora-Hansgrohe is being defined, for the moment, it has only acquired the participation but, both the management and the sponsorships that were already closed for 2024 remain unchanged. In any case, the relationship between Bora-Hansgrohe and Red Bull is not new as the Austrian firm had been collaborating with the team through the Red Bull Junior Brothers talent search program.

In fact, it was speculated that the signing of Primoz Roglic would have been paid for by Red Bull after a visit by the Slovenian to the Red Bull Performance Center in Salzburg, a fact that was denied by the team's general manager, Ralph Denk. In fact, Denk has also pointed out in recent statements that the arrival of Red Bull to the shareholding does not represent an increase in budget compared to what was planned.

However, knowing the precedents of the brand, such as its disruptive irruption in the world of Formula 1 where they have become the rival to beat, a position they have held for a good number of years, it would be strange if they did not try to pursue a similar level of relevance to make good their bet on road cycling. A modality that, until now, they had only touched on, only with personal sponsorships such as those of Tom Pidcock or Wout van Aert.

In any case, who can benefit from the arrival of Red Bull is surely road cycling itself, which puts a new spotlight on it that allows it to reach many more people as is the case with almost anything sponsored by the energy drink brand. We just have to be a little patient. We will surely know sooner rather than later what plans Red Bull has for road cycling.