Earlier this month, cycling’s worst kept secret was finally
confirmed: Remco Evenepoel will join Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in 2026. The
Belgian star will not be making the move alone. Mattia Cattaneo, sports
director Klaas Lodewyck, and two other staff members from Soudal – Quick-Step
are also expected to join him. Perhaps the most notable name among the incoming
staff is Sven Vanthourenhout, the former Belgian national coach. Yet, according
to La Gazzetta dello Sport, his position may be more limited than originally
anticipated. Instead of taking on a broad leadership role, Vanthourenhout is
expected to serve primarily as a sporting director, focusing closely on
Evenepoel’s race program.

Vanthourenhout, 44, comes into the role with an accomplished
background in cyclocross. Born in Bruges, Belgium, he won bronze medals at the
cyclocross world championships in 2004 and 2005. His tenure as Belgian national
coach yielded 99 medals across both cyclocross and road cycling, cementing his
reputation as a successful and influential figure in the sport. Following his
departure from the Belgian cycling federation, he was linked with multiple
high-profile teams. At the end of last year, discussions took place with both
Soudal Quick-Step and BORA, but only recently did he finalize an agreement with
the German WorldTour outfit.

In an interview with Sporza, Vanthourenhout confirmed the
move, saying, “I will indeed be joining Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe straight away.
I’ll be involved in all departments, from the development team to the WorldTour
team.”

His initial remarks suggested a wide-ranging role within the
organization, supporting riders across multiple levels of the team. However, La
Gazzetta now reports that BORA intends to appoint Briton Zak Dempster,
currently at INEOS Grenadiers, as the team’s sporting manager.

Importantly, Dempster’s position would give him broader
oversight of the squad’s sporting operations, enabling him to maintain impartiality
when managing top leaders like Evenepoel, Lipowitz, and Roglic. Given Roglic is
a five time grand tour winner, and Lipowitz just won the white jersey and
finished third at the 2025 Tour, there could very well be internal tensions
over leadership at the team.

Under this structure, Vanthourenhout’s work would shift
toward a more specialised role. Rather than being deeply involved in the
overall strategy for every rider, he would concentrate on guiding Evenepoel
through targeted races. Evenepoel is coming off of a difficult summer, where
despite winning stage 5 of the Tour and spending time in the white jersey, he
was forced to abandon after 3 hellish days in the Pyrenees. More than anything,
Evenepoel needs a smooth winter to acclimatise with his new team, preferably
without crashing into any vans…

This arrangement could prove beneficial for the Belgian
star, giving him a dedicated figure within the team to refine his race approach
while leaving the broader strategic balance to Dempster. For BORA, it
represents a move to balance the needs of multiple high-profile leaders without
compromising the attention given to each.

Overall, it’s a positive headache for a team to have
multiple riders capable of leadership. And, for Evenepoel, it is a huge
contrast from his situation at Quick-Step, where there were simply not enough
strong riders to support him in the high mountains.

The confirmation of Evenepoel’s transfer and the
accompanying staff shake-up signals a significant restructuring for Red Bull –
BORA – hansgrohe. The team appears intent on building a support system tailored
to maximizing the potential of its leaders, while also managing the dynamics
between them. With the arrival of Evenepoel, Vanthourenhout, and other key
figures, they look set to be the team to watch in the early part of the season.
Can Vanthourenhout help Evenepoel take his game to the next level in 2026?