Roglic and Raich filled with enthusiasm at the BORA - hansgrohe Team Camp

One week before the start of the Alpine Ski World Cup in Ötztal, summer and winter sports stars have gathered at Rettenbachferner last weekend. During the Team Camp of Germany’s BORA – hansgrohe cycling team, the group around top star Primoz Roglic made their first turns on World Cup snow together with Marlies Raich and Benjamin Raich. Valuable tips came from the former ÖSV ski stars and local heroes Franziska Gritsch and Fabio Gstrein, who qualified for the World Cup Opening in Sölden for the first time.

Ötztal Tourismus has been BORA - hansgrohe's "Official Training Destination" for four years. Since then, the entire team, which includes more than 120 people with 30 professional cyclists and young riders, at the Team Camp in Sölden meets every October. Here the past season is summed up, plans are made for 2024 and the new and upcoming cyclists are welcomed with medical checks and bike adjustments. The undisputed star of the weekend was Slovenia’s Olympic Champion Primoz Roglic, three-time winner of the Vuelta, who is expected to lead the team to a major coup at the next Tour de France. In addition to the three Austrians Marco Haller, Patrick Gamper, Alexander Hajek, the sports directors Bernhard Eisel and Christian Pömer were also there.

Team building is the focus of the entire team camp. The professional cyclists also tested the AREA 47 indoor bike park, which opened at the end of April 2023: Austria's first and only indoor hall for bikers is located at the entrance to Ötztal. On Saturday BORA - hansgrohe was accompanied by former ski stars Benjamin Raich and Marlies Raich at Rettenbachferner. "It went surprisingly well. Many teams - such as the US, Switzerland and Germany - are currently training on the glacier slopes," Benjamin Raich states. His wife Marlies was enthusiastic about Roglic's skiing skills: "He was a bit reserved at the beginning. That's probably also because he had longer skis as a ski jumper back then. But he then did very well." No wonder, Roglic's last ski trip was exactly ten years ago and his last ski jump was in 2012.

Roglic in the spotlight
A star you can touch - that's how you could describe Slovenia's Primoz Roglic. "For me, of the five absolute top stars of the moment, he is the most likeable. Everyone wants something from him all the time. But he always remains extremely relaxed and friendly. But: He is also focused and strong-willed. Primoz knows exactly what he wants. I hope that I can support him well on the flat stages of the next Tour de France," says Marco Haller, who was named Cycling Athlete of the Year the year before last. New team member Alexander Hajek was also impressed: "I have a lot of respect for Primoz and I am sure we will all benefit a lot from him."

Eisel: "Primoz is not a robot"
Bernhard Eisel looks back on a long cycling career and is one of the scene's insiders. As sporting director, he looks forward to the next few years with great hope: "The Ötztal locals welcomed us with the usual splendid hospitality. It’s nice to have a superstar like Roglic in the team. For me it is quite impressive with how much love and fun he has a sports pro. He is absolutely not dogged at all and shows that he is not a robot. That also inspires the younger cyclists."

Ralph Denk praises partnership with Ötztal
BORA - hansgrohe team manager Ralph Denk led his team to where it is now. After an Giro overall win by Jai Hindley, this year he achieved a stage win at the Tour de France, a day in yellow, the sprint win in Paris, plus two stage victories by Nico Denz at the Giro d'Italia and one by Lennard Kämna at the Vuelta. "We also owe the strong performances at the Vuelta with two riders in the top ten to Ötztal, where the team prepared very well at the high-altitude training camp. All I can say about the partnership with Ötztal is that we feel super comfortable and we noticed that absolute professionals are at work on both sides."

A lot revolved around the Slovenian superstar last weekend, including Oliver Schwarz, Managing Director of Ötztal Tourismus: "BORA - hansgrohe feels very comfortable at the Team Camp, the altitude training camps, which are to be expanded next year, and the cross-country skiing camps. We stand for sports and entertainment and this is the perfect message to bring to our target markets through the partnership. Roglic is of course the icing on the cake for us."

And what does Primoz Roglic himself say about his first Team Camp in Ötztal: "Skiing was great fun, even though I haven't been on short skis for a long time." His statement about the new BORA – hansgrohe team: "This year was an almost perfect season for me (note: Roglic won all the tours where he started; he came third overall at the Vuelta), but the year before last was pretty tough for me. It is no secret that we want to win the Tour de France with BORA - hansgrohe. That may sound absurd, but we believe in it and will do everything we can to achieve it."

Information and pictures:
You can find more information HERE and pictures HERE.
The use of our pictures is free of charge for advertising purposes regarding Ötztal. It is absolutely required that you indicate the copyright and the name of the photographer! 

Ötztal Tourismus
PR & Media
ANNA PIRCHER
anna.pircher@oetztal.com
T +43 (0) 57200 935