Zak Dempster appointed to lead Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe into the Evenepoel era
Earlier this year, La Gazzetta dello Sport linked Zak Dempster with a move from Ineos Grenadiers to Red Bull BORA hansgrohe. That report is now confirmed: from October 1 the 38-year-old Australian becomes Chief of Sports, overseeing the team’s entire performance division.
For Dempster, it is a return to familiar ground. Between 2013 and 2016, he rode for Ralph Denk’s squad in its formative years, including the team’s debut Tour de France in 2014, and he was part of the team that won their first stage in a Grand Tour. He retired in 2019 and quickly moved into the convoy as sports director, first with Israel Start-Up Nation (now Israel-Premier Tech), then with Ineos Grenadiers from 2023.
At the British team, he guided campaigns across Paris-Roubaix, the Giro d’Italia and this year’s Tour de France, where Thymen Arensman delivered two stage victories.
“Zak knows our team like very few others. He played an important role in shaping our history, and despite his young age, he already brings extensive international leadership experience,” said Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in a press statement. “I am convinced that his fresh ideas, clear leadership style and fearlessness will help us write the next chapter in our sporting evolution.”
“For me, this feels like coming home,” said Dempster. “I share so many formative moments of my career with this team, and I am excited to now contribute to its future in a new role. I know Ralph as an ambitious manager, and with Red Bull BORA hansgrohe he has created the most exciting project in our sport. Now it is about realising this enormous potential together.”
Restructuring at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe goes beyond Dempster’s arrival. After ten years with Ineos Grenadiers, Oliver Cookson steps in as Head of Racing, leading eleven Sports Directors across the WorldTour, U23 and U19 teams. Sven Vanthourenhout has been in place since August, while Klaas Lodewyck and Tony Gallopin will join at the start of the new year. Lodewyck brings a decade of experience from Soudal Quick-Step, and Gallopin adds Tour de France pedigree alongside two years as a director at Lotto.
This strengthening of the backroom comes at a pivotal moment. The blockbuster signing of Remco Evenepoel has reshaped the team’s ambitions, and the roster has been rebuilt around that goal. Expanding the performance staff mirrors the scale of the project, with Dempster now tasked with aligning those resources to deliver on the team’s new horizon.
