Inside Red Bull's Plan: How Does a Cycling Team Sign Its Riders?

Professional cycling is changing fast, and one of the biggest changes is how teams recruit their riders. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is one of the sport's top teams, and last year they paid around $2.3 million to sign Belgian star Remco Evenepoel from another team. To find out how this process really works, reporters spoke with Zak Dempster, the Australian who runs Red Bull's sports strategy. His answers show that signing a cyclist is a lot more complicated than most fans might think.

Dempster joined Red Bull from another top team over the winter. He says his job is not just about today — it's about planning years into the future. 'I'm already thinking about 2028, 2029, what the team might look like in 2030,' he explained. At the same time, he says the team has to be ready to act quickly when a surprise opportunity comes up.

Red Bull is considered one of cycling's 'superteams,' along with UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers. These teams have much bigger budgets than most others, which makes them attractive to riders who want the best training and support. Dempster pointed out that Red Bull has six world-class coaches, and four of them have helped riders win Grand Tours — the sport's most prestigious races. That level of attention, he says, is something smaller teams simply cannot offer.

When it comes to deciding which riders to sign, Dempster says the process involves a small team of leaders. This group includes the director of coaching, the director of health, and the director of youth development. They look at the team's current roster and figure out where they need more strength. While they do sign riders from other teams, their preference is to find young talent and develop it themselves.

Picking a rider isn't just about race results. Dempster says the team looks at many different things, like whether a rider can be a team leader or a strong helper, known in cycling as a domestique. Sometimes they spot a rider who seems to have great physical potential but hasn't been able to show it yet. 'It's really more about trying to read the situation,' Dempster said.

Data and technology play a big role, too. Some teams have announced partnerships with artificial intelligence companies to help with scouting. While Dempster didn't name the software Red Bull uses, he described tools that can map out a young rider's future based on how similar professionals developed. The team also uses data to measure the true value of a race result, taking into account how tough the competition was.

One major topic in cycling right now is transfer fees. In the past, riders would simply wait for their contract to end before joining a new team — for free. Now, teams are paying fees to move riders early, much like in soccer. Dempster thinks a fair and official system for these fees would be good for everyone, allowing smaller teams to reinvest that money in young talent.

Scouting young talent has also changed a lot. Dempster says that by the time a rider competes at the junior world championships, many of the best ones are already signed. So Red Bull now focuses on finding riders as young as 15 or 16, before other teams can get to them. The team's scout spends most of his time watching Under-17 races to find the next generation of stars.

One name everyone in cycling is watching is Paul Seixas, a 19-year-old seen as one of the sport's future top stage-race riders. His contract runs out at the end of next year, and several big teams are already interested in signing him. Dempster said the attention around Seixas could be distracting, and that the fees being discussed are very high. 'It shows how desperate teams are for talent,' he said.

Some people wonder whether it's healthy for cycling to be recruiting riders so young. Dempster admitted there are risks — a young rider might not end up loving the sport or might not fit the team. But he believes Red Bull's step-by-step development program gives young riders the best chance to grow. 'If they're good, and they like it, the big contracts will come,' he said.