{"id":344428,"date":"2025-12-13T02:17:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344428\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T02:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:17:12","slug":"red-bulls-latest-pr-stunt-is-a-wild-take-on-off-season-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344428\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Bull\u2019s Latest PR Stunt Is a Wild Take on Off-Season Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated December 12, 2025 02:48AM<\/p>\n

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe<\/a>\u2018s latest stunning PR stunt is why we love cycling\u2019s version of \u201cspring training\u201d with its string of pre-season training camps.<\/p>\n

Nine riders strapped themselves into harnesses and \u2014 if we believe the images and videos \u2014 created enough two-wheeled horsepower to propel a Red Bull-branded glider into full flight.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s the modern version\u2019s tip of the cap to the Wright Brothers, the OG cyclists\/tinkerers behind the first human flight more than a century ago.<\/p>\n

Whatever it is, it\u2019s the fullest demonstration that cycling is now into its wild and sometimes over-the-top version of spring training.<\/p>\n

Nine riders became the first humans to launch an aircraft using pure muscle power, according to the Red Bull PR masters. The wacky and unprecedented feat took place at Son Bonet aerodrome in Mallorca, where a custom setup linked the riders to a glider via a specially engineered harness.<\/p>\n

The team \u2014 Florian Lipowitz<\/a>, Nico Denz, Jordi Meeus, Tim Van Dijke, Laurence Pithie, Adrien Boichis, Davide Donati and Gijs Schoonvelde \u2014 generated 6,500 watts over roughly 90 seconds, pedaling in what the team called a \u201cHusky formation\u201d along a 1,500-meter runway.<\/p>\n

Their effort accelerated the glider \u2014 usually towed into flight by another airplane \u2014 to 54kph and allowed it to climb to an altitude of 100 metres.<\/p>\n

Dan Bigham, head of engineering at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, said they worked on the dubbed \u201cPeloton Takeoff\u201d project for one year to get it right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe harness was a critical element, something that simply did not exist before. We spent countless hours developing it, and that work allowed us to make history with Peloton Takeoff,\u201d Bigham said. \u201cFrom the data and our models, we knew it would take ~500 watts from each rider to launch the plane, but we did not want to stop there. Every watt more meant more altitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remco mania hits Mallorca
\n\"RedRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe riders cheer on a glider. Evenepoel did not take part. (Photo: Red Bull\/Special to Velo)<\/p>\n

Back down on earth, teams across the elite men\u2019s and women\u2019s peloton are hunkered down across Spain\u2019s Mediterranean coast in what\u2019s the first major get-together since the racing season ended in October.<\/p>\n

The \u201coff-season\u201d is short in the pro cycling world. Though the first European road races are still nearly two months away, hordes of riders are spinning up and down Spain\u2019s Costa Blanca and on Mallorca to blow out the cobwebs, meet new teammates, and outline racing calendars.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s big draw is Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, decamped on Mallorca, and will have its full Remco Evenepoel<\/a> rollout party on Wednesday to formally introduce the biggest transfer deal in years.
The hype is huge in Belgium, akin to Juan Soto leaving the Yankees to join the Mets.<\/p>\n

There are so many Belgian journalists now on Mallorca that flights were nearly full. Sporza is even offering a \u201cLive Stream\u201d update on Evenepoel\u2019s every move.<\/p>\n

So far, there\u2019ve been some spy shots of Evenepoel\u2019s new Red Bull-emblazoned Specialized bike and updates of Evenepoel on a training ride. More to come.<\/p>\n

Why teams love Calpe
\n\"PaulMagnier \u2018trains\u2019 on Spain\u2019s Med coast as part of Quick-Step\u2019s annual trek to the region. (Photo: SQS\/Special to Velo)<\/p>\n

Teams and riders love the Calpe region. Laced with low-traffic roads away from the busy coastline, the area provides mild weather, mixed training terrain, and plenty of bargain-basement hotels.<\/p>\n

Some teams have been coming back to the same hotels for decades. Soudal Quick-Step returned to Calpe for the 24th year in a row, alas, this time without the Remco hype to draw in the crowds.<\/p>\n

These camps are part PR, but also a chance for staffers to work with new arrivals. Most teams see significant turnover most seasons, and these December camps are the first time to formally get past the meet-and-greets and get down to business.<\/p>\n

Quick-Step, for example, sees eight new riders \u2014 Steff Cras, Alberto Dainese, Laurenz Rex, Jasper Stuyven<\/a>, Dylan Van Baarle, Fabio Van den Bossche, Jonathan Vervenne and Filippo Zana \u2014 and there\u2019s plenty to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be using the first three days of the camp for photo shoots, testing, and bike fitting,\u201d said Soudal Quick-Step trainer Koen Pelgrim. \u2028\u201cOnce these are out of the way, the guys will focus on training and enjoy what we all hope will be a good block of training in Calpe, where we are happy to be present again, as it offers us everything that we need in order to properly prepare for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s real work before and after the team presentations and press conferences. The first major dates, like Strade Bianche or Paris-Nice, are only weeks away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main focus is on laying a solid base for the season through lower-intensity endurance rides. Next to that, we\u2019ll use these days to work on sprints, leadouts, time trial training for the specialists, and off-bike training with the physios,\u201d Pilgrim said. \u201cThis camp is a great opportunity to integrate the new riders into the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spy shots galore
\n\"Lidl-Trek\"Lidl-Trek caused a traffic jam on the Col dell Rates climb in Spain. (Photo: IG\/Artem Shcherbyna)<\/p>\n

These days, nothing escapes the prying eyes of fans and journalists who hang out on Spain\u2019s \u201cWhite Coast\u201d to snap shots and capture video of the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Lotte Kopecky<\/a>, or Demi Vollering.<\/p>\n

A few riders have bought apartments and condos down on the rugged coastline between Valencia and Alicante, making it a sort of home-away-from-home for the itinerant cycling horde.<\/p>\n

Savvy fans know where to hang out to catch the pros zipping past.<\/p>\n

Riders are under obligation to ride in their old kit through the end of December, but it\u2019s not surprising to catch glimpses of new kits, bikes, and gear that teams will unveil next season.<\/p>\n

This week, there was a tailback of the two-wheeled kind of the local favorite climb at Col dell Rates<\/a> when Lidl-Trek was filming its riders from the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams, causing riders to grind to a stop on the steep climb high above the coast.<\/p>\n

Intrepid shooters captured images of new jersey designs for Lidl-Trek and UAE Emirates-XRG that will be rolled out in official presentations across the month.<\/p>\n

Another spy shot saw EF Education-EasyPost riding SRAM<\/a>, perhaps a replacement for the Shimano groups.<\/p>\n

Riders under obligation until December 31
\n\"NSN\"NSN is the new look for Israel-Premier Tech going into 2026. (Photo: Chris Auld)<\/p>\n

Some teams have already unveiled their new kits, with SD Worx-ProTime showing off its new jersey. NSN \u2014 the replacement look for Israel-Premier Tech \u2014 was rolled out to rave reviews this week. More are on the way.<\/p>\n

Ineos-Grenadiers also teased out its new look on social media this week, featuring \u2014 YES! \u2014 what appeared to be gray\/white shorts as part of the new top that features TotalEnergies as a co-sponsor. As some suggested, perhaps Geraint Thomas decided to retire at the right time after all.<\/p>\n

One of the more maddening rules in cycling is that contracts run through the end of the calendar year until December 31.<\/p>\n

Yet teams operate based on the seasonal calendar, with things winding down in October and ramping back up in November.<\/p>\n

By contract, riders must ride in their existing team jerseys and ride on their team-issue bikes through the end of December, even if they\u2019ve changed teams.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s why all the photos of Evenepoel have him still training in Soudal Quick-Step regalia, though he will be getting fitted out on new Red Bull-issued kit behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

Publicity photos and videos will be shot this week, but will not be officially released, at least for new arrivals, until January 1.<\/p>\n

Teams can often work out deals between themselves, especially on allowing riders to at least train on their new bike setups. There have been cases, however, of teams firing riders early \u2014 or at least not paying their final few weeks of salary \u2014 for ignoring these contract stipulations.<\/p>\n

The UCI has not changed the rule despite making some suggestions that it might relax the contractual demands in November and December for transferring riders.<\/p>\n

Many believe that contracts should run from November to October, but right now, things are not changing.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar recons Flanders, Roubaix and gets a new look
\n\"Poga\u010dar\"Poga\u010dar sports a new look and is already scouting the Flanders and Roubaix routes. (Photo: Instagram)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in far-away Belgium, Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> and a few select UAE teammates reconnoitered the Tour of Flanders course on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

The world champion was spotted on the Oude Kwarement and Paterberg, among other climbs. Sharp-eyed fans noticed that the world No. 1 was doing the reconnaissance on his Y1Rs aero bike.<\/p>\n

The Slovenian already rode select cobbled sectors of Paris-Roubaix along with teammate Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch, signaling that he\u2019s putting the Hell of the North at the center of early 2026 plans.<\/p>\n

Pogi also took a chance to hit a local barber in Waregem to sport a new, we must say, aerodynamic look.<\/p>\n

With Poga\u010dar on the cobbles and Red Bull ramping up the PR machine, it\u2019s the surest sign yet that road racing is coming out of its short, fall slumber.<\/p>\n