New signings: the latest additions to the BORA – hansgrohe team 2024 I Part 1

Primož Roglič 

This Slovenian rider is the Band of Brothers’ transfer coup for 2024. As well as topping the overall classification of the Vuelta three times and the Giro once, his other successes include a gold medal in the Olympic individual time trial, 19 Grand Tour stage victories, several one-week race triumphs and first place at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège monument. His list of achievements is impressively long! All that’s missing is the Tour de France – his main goal for 2024. Primož’s success speaks for itself, but it’s even more impressive when you consider that this junior world ski jumping champion only took up cycling in his early 20s. Despite this, he’s certainly one of the most outstanding cyclists in recent years. This family man likes spending time with his wife and two sons, who determine his daily routine in addition to his training schedule. Rather than watching series on TV, he prefers listening to music – preferably ACDC. He meditates to get through his hectic daily racing and training schedule, and he deliberately gives lucky charms a wide berth. 

Filip Maciejuk 

This long-limbed Pole is considered to be a fast all-rounder and loyal helper. He hasn’t yet finished developing at the age of 24, so it will be interesting to see in which races he gets his own chances. His favourite races are the spring classics, especially the Tour of Flanders. As a keen amateur chef, Filip is also very interested in nutrition and prefers eating hearty and spicy dishes. He has his own weights room back home in Poland, and he often trains with his brother Kacper, who is four years his junior and a professional cyclist in the third ‘Continental’ division. He ventures outside on his bike even when the weather is bad because he has a real aversion to indoor trainers. His favourite film genre is thrillers, and he can switch off when on holiday with his girlfriend or spending time with his family. 

Roger Adrià 

The 25-year-old Catalan is considered a punchy climber, whether in one-day or stage races. Unsurprisingly, Liège-Bastogne-Liège is his favourite race. Roger rode for a second-division professional team called Equipo Kern Pharma in 2023 and attracted a great deal of attention with his many strong results. Moving on to the WorldTour was therefore the next logical step. His brother introduced him to cycling and still watches every one of his races today. To motivate himself before his races, Roger likes listening to electro music, preferably by Avicii, but if he’s watching TV instead of listening to music, Breaking Bad is his favourite series. Roger’s favourite breakfast is omelette and avocado on toast, but only when he gets up with the right foot first in the mornings.  

Emil Herzog 

Emil always wanted to be a cross-country skier, and the 13-time world champion Petter Northug was his major role model. As Emil comes from Germany’s Allgäu region, the proximity to the mountains made winter sports a natural choice for him. In fact, cross-country skiing and ski touring are still part of this 19-year-old’s winter training routine. In 2020, his cycling training really picked up speed due to the pandemic, and his talent soon became apparent. In 2021, he joined Team Auto Eder (now called Team GRENKE – Auto Eder), the BORA – hansgrohe junior team. He achieved his greatest success in 2022 by becoming Junior World Champion on challenging terrain after an epic sprint finish in Wollongong, Australia. Fittingly, his favourite races are the classics. Emil, whose father is French, likes listening to “loud music with plenty of bass”. He prefers switching off with adrenaline, so downhill riding is one of his hobbies. And when he wants to take things easier, this fervent porridge fan enjoys going fishing or watching sport on TV. 

You’d like to find out about the four other new signings? Watch this space for more info about Sam Welsford, Alexander Hajek, Matteo Sobrero and Daniel Felipe Martinez.