'This is modern cycling' - Sobrero outlines the escalating hunt for marginal gains

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s signing of Remco Evenepoel from Soudal-QuickStep has highlighted the ambition of a team that has undergone significant transformation since the arrival of its title sponsor last year. 

With a reported budget of €50 million, the team has assembled specialists including Dan Bigham as Head of Engineering, Asker Jeukendrup as Director of Sport Strategy, Peter Kloppel as Head of Mental Performance, and Dan Lorang as Director of Coaching and Sports Science.

The team also have several backroom additions, including Zak Dempster as Chief of Sports alongside Tony Gallopin, Oliver Cookson as Sports Directors, and Evenepoel's familiar associates Sven Vanthourenhout and Klaas Lodewyck. Meanwhile, John Wakefield will take a new role as Director of Coaching, Sports Science and Technical Development, with Tim Meeusen succeeding him as Director of Rookie Development.

“This is the philosophy of modern cycling: keeping up with the times and, in some cases, as with the best teams, trying to stay ahead of them,” Sobrero told Bici.pro.

“It’s very noticeable. But honestly, and this isn’t a criticism, it’s nothing new: it’s what happens in other top teams too. Or at least, in the top ten teams in the world.

"I would say that it is more noticeable in cycling in general than just at Red Bull-Bora. Many teams now have similar figures. Ineos Grenadiers was the first to take massive action on nutrition, and then Visma-Lease a Bike took it a step further, with Jeukendrup, and the others gradually followed suit.”

The Italian admitted that while he enjoyed his time with the German team, the scale of modern cycling operations has changed the team dynamic. “The great thing about cycling is that big investments push everything and everyone upwards, the downside is that you lose the human aspect a little,” he said. “Teams today have almost 200 people: there are people you see at the first training camp in October and then don't see again for the rest of the year.” 

Sobrero also detailed how the team's nutritional approach under expert Asker Jeukendrup exemplifies their precision-focused mentality, including the use of an app called ‘Food Coach’ to keep tabs on riders’ meals. “We Italians come from a food culture that naturally leads us to eat in a balanced way,” Sobrero said. “But at Red Bull, everything is [measured] down to the gramme.”

Sobrero confessed that there was a mental toll to working in such an exacting way, adding that mental coaching was a key element for the contemporary WorldTour rider. “There are riders who are more affected by it and others who are less affected,” he said. 

“Sacrifices are made to reach the limit, but the risk is ending up burnt out. It is up to the psychologist to prevent them from crossing that fine line between perfection and exhaustion.”