Oier Lazkano will decide between Movistar and Bora-Hansgrohe transfer

Spanish national champion has narrowed his choice to two options, with a move to Bora-Hansgrohe alongside Laurence Pithie and Jan Tratnik a real possibility

09:49, Friday 26th April 2024

Daniel Benson

Editor in Chief

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Oier Lazkano has made a name for himself in one-day races over the past couple of seasons

Oier Lazkano has narrowed his future team down to two choices with either a move to Bora-Hansgrohe or staying at Movistar his options.

The Spanish national champion has been a revelation this season, posting several impressive results, most notably in the Spring Classics.

The 24-year-old drew interest from several WorldTour teams but GCN has learned from sources close to the situation that Lazkano is holding out for a three to four-year contract and that Bora-Hansgrohe are the only outside squad left competing for the rider’s signature. Movistar remain hopeful of retaining the rider but teams cannot officially announce new signings until the UCI embargo is lifted on 1 August.

GCN has approached Bora-Hansgrohe for a comment but the team has not yet responded.

Lazkano isn’t the first rider to be linked with Bora-Hansgrohe for 2025, and several others have already put pen to paper.

Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) are both on their way to the team too as the squad looks to beef up their presence in the Spring Classics. Pithie has been another breakout star in the Spring Classics and several teams were interested in the rider before Bora-Hansgrohe swooped in and made an unmatchable offer ahead of Milan-San Remo.

Tratnik won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier this year but was at the end of his contract with Visma-Lease a Bike before agreeing to link up with his former teammate Primož Roglič at Bora-Hansgrohe. Roglič joined the team at the end of last year and is set to lead the line for the squad at the Tour de France this summer.

With Red Bull on board as a majority shareholder thanks to their buyout of a 51% stake in the team, investment has generated major interest in revamping the team.

Earlier in April, team boss Ralph Denk told GCN that the team’s focus was on finding new stars, rather than signing proven team leaders. Pithie and Lazkano both fit that bill in the sense that they are both young and have yet to reach their complete potential.

"Every talent is now linked with us because of our first announcement [Red Bull] but we’re looking for the new superstars, we’re not looking to the current superstars. We are looking for the ones that might need some development and we can help,” Denk told GCN.

Denk also added that there were between six to eight spots to fill on the team. The squad have already announced contract extensions for Jai Hindley and Florian Lipowitz, while GCN also revealed in March that Aleksandr Vlasov had signed a three-year contract extension with the squad.

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