Pro Log: Red Bull acquires controlling stake in Bora-Hansgrohe, Australian National Championships results, EF release stunning kits and Julien Vermote signs for Visma-Lease a Bike

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Pro Log: Red Bull acquires controlling stake in Bora-Hansgrohe, Australian National Championships results, EF release stunning kits and Julien Vermote signs for Visma-Lease a Bike

Welcome back to the first 2024 edition of Pro Log. How far into the new year is acceptable to skip the ‘Happy New Year!’ formalities? Well, I’ve said it now. No going back.

I’m only slightly jealous of the peloton as they make their way to Australia for the Tour Down Under races. The women will kick start their season from the 12th-14th January with the men’s race following from 16th-21st January.

Now, let’s get back into pro cycling news. It’s been a while.

Red Bull acquire majority stake in Bora-Hansgrohe team

An energy drink brand synonymous with extreme sports, including BMX, skiing and skateboarding, plus Max Verstappen’s dominant Formula 1 outfit, now Red Bull is making its way further into the cycling world. Last week it was announced Red Bull will take over a 51% stake of the Bora-Hansgrohe team following their purchase of shares in RD Pro Cycling KG and RD Beteiligungs. Both companies are owned by Bora-Hansgrohe founder Ralph Denk.

Red Bull previously collaborated in the ‘Red Bull Junior Brothers’ programme last year, which awarded Patrick Casey and Anatol Friedl contracts to Bora-Hansgrohe’s U-19 squad, Team Auto Eder.

With the signing of Primož Roglič during the off-season, the Bora-Hansgrohe team is eyeing more success in the upcoming year, specifically, the Tour de France, though Lennard Kåmna will undoubtably win another Grand Tour stage too. But with the might of Red Bull in charge, expect bigger budgets. What that means for Red Bull sponsored riders on others teams, such as Wout van Aert, is currently unknown.

Australian National Championships results

Always a precursor to the Tour Down Under, the Australian National Championships were held from the 3rd January and history dictates they’re dominated by those in the Jayco-AlUla and Liv-AlUla-Jayco teams.

Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) had a perfect start to the season, doubling up with wins in the men’s elite individual time-trial and road race, his second victory in the former and third consecutive in the latter. Roby Roseman-Gannon led home a Liv-AlUla-Jayco 1-2-3 in the women’s criterium before winning the women’s road race too. Lauren Bates (ARA-Skip Capital) also had a double success, winning both the junior individual time-trial and road races.

Pocket rocket Caleb Ewan – yes, also Jayco-AlUla – sprinted to victory in the men’s criterium race.

EF release stunning national championship kits

When I first laid eyes on these national champion kits from EF, my jaw practically hit the floor. While there are restrictions to designing a cycling kit, EF Pro Cycling have outdone themselves to produce some of the most memorable designs in recent memory for EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Cannondale.

Up first is Ben Healy. Healy won the men’s Irish road race back in June and now rides with a larger shamrock emblazoned onto his chest. Coryn Labecki is the USA crit champion [WTF IS A KILOMETEERRRR] and has a swirly interpretation of the stars and stripes.

Phenomenally Canadian, as all good things should be. Just give Alison Jackson some maple syrup and moose antlers and she’s good to go.

Then there’s the always smiley Esteban Chaves, who won the Colombian road race title in February, and Richard Carapaz – who many tweeted me to express a need for him to star in a buddy cop film alongside Jackson, to which I absolutely agree – looking resplendent in his Ecuadorian champs cycling.

If Carlsberg did cycling kits…

Known for either being the colour of a pink highlighter or laden with ducks as was the infamous Giro d’Italia switch-out kits, the 2024 outfit for non-national champs is akin to fruit salad sweets, pink lashed with spots of yellow with words of encouragement like ‘GO’ on the front. Keep your eyes peeled for our full WorldTour kit rankings later this week.

Julien Vermote signs with Visma-Lease a Bike

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Lennard Hofstede has retired aged 29, leaving a roster spot to be filled. In a press release put out by the team, Hofstede said, ‘This is not a difficult or unpleasant decision. I felt it was coming for a while. I was not completely fit lately and I gradually lost the pleasure in riding races.’

The squad signed Belgian veteran Julien Vermote on a one-year contract. Vermote raced at an amateur level last year in Belgium with one win at Staden. Before that he competed in the WorldTour for the likes of QuickStep and Dimension Data, winning two stages at the Tour of Britain in 2014 and 2016.

See you soon for another edition of Pro Log.

The post Pro Log: Red Bull acquires controlling stake in Bora-Hansgrohe, Australian National Championships results, EF release stunning kits and Julien Vermote signs for Visma-Lease a Bike appeared first on Cyclist.