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The trainer who mentored Jonas Vingegaard to two Tour de France titles with Visma-Lease a Bike has joined superteam rivals Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe.
The Austrian team revealed Wednesday that Tim Heemskerk will join up with Remco Evenepoel and Co. with immediate effect, just three months after his shock exit from Visma.
Heemskerk stunned the world in February when he left “The Killer Bees” after eight years helping the team rise to the very top of the WorldTour.
Heemskerk will now take on a group of athletes at a burgeoning Red Bull squad that includes Evenepoel, Giulio Pellizzari, and Jai Hindley.
“We are pleased to welcome Tim to our coaching group. He brings valuable experience from working with grand tour riders and will be a strong addition to our existing performance staff,” Red Bull chief of Sport Zak Dempster said Wednesday in a team note.
“We are continuing to build a coaching environment with deep experience, different perspectives and a strong culture of collaboration — and Tim is a very good fit for that environment,” Dempster said.
Evenepoel’s current coach, Dan Lorang, will leave Red Bull after the 2026 Tour de France.
Coincidence?
We’ll find out in July.
Heemskerk makes superteam switch after guiding Vingegaard to the top
Heemskerk was at the core of Visma-Lease a Bike through its rise to the top of the WorldTour.
The Dutch physiologist worked with Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson, now-retired Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates, and many of Visma’s climbing core.
Heemskerk’s exit in February came amid a turbulent period for the “Killer Bees” that led outsiders to question the authoritarianism of its regime.
“Over the past period, I have noticed that I was struggling to continue applying my creativity and passion, which are important to me in my work as a coach. That was the moment for me to be honest with myself and with the team,” Heemskerk said in February. “In the coming period, I will take some time for myself and reflect on my future.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe has been filling its staffing department with experts poached from rival squads.
Dempster, sport director Klaas Lodewyck, and nutritionist Asker Jukendrup were all working with rival teams until last year. Sven Vanthourenhout also joined as sport director after working with the Belgian national team.
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