It was over 1,000 kilometres from Tour de Pologne stage 3 start in Wałbrzych to Belgium, but the impact of the long-awaited announcement of Remco Evenepoel's transfer to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for 2026 was still felt nonetheless.
In the shadow of a now-defunct coal mine's massive outbuildings, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Pologne line-up found themselves being sought out by journalists digging for inside reactions from team leaders and support riders alike to the biggest contract news of the year.
When it comes to overall stage race contenders, the arrival of the Belgian further bolsters considerable GC options which already include Primož Roglič, Florian Lipowitz, Jai Hindley and Dani Martínez. That's not to mention the fast-rising Italian talent, 21-year-old Giulio Pellizzari, sixth in the Giro d'Italia this year after Roglič abandoned.
But the interest and motivation that the arrival of a new top name can spark in a squad always goes far beyond the best-known riders, and it would seem that is very much the case at Red Bull as well.
"I’ve ridden with guys of that calibre in the past, like Tadej [Pogačar], and Remco is another of these aliens," Finn Fisher-Black told reporters at the stage 3 start.
"I’m excited to have him on the team. Someone like this brings the spirit of the team up. But that’s next year and we’ll look to the rest of this year now."
"Another chapter is beginning, so I'm pleased he's here," Dani Martínez, second in the 2024 Giro d'Italia, added.
"For sure, with Remco in the team, we'll have a very strong squad all round. He's a massively important rider and he'll definitely bring a lot to the team. The key thing is: he's coming."
As Fisher-Black pointed out, the importance of having Evenepoel is one of inspiration for the other riders.
"I think the thing is, when you have a winning environment, it changes the whole feeling in the team. It kind of brings everyone up.
"So having one of these really incredible riders in the team, naturally it brings the whole team forward. It makes the whole team a bit more professional."
Fisher-Black pointed to the knock-on effect of an ultra-successful racer like Evenepoel that could be felt across the squad. He cited UAE Team Emirates-XRG as a team where the benefits were evident whether or not they were racing with Pogačar.
UAE's strike rate was so high in 2024 that it led them to come close to the record total of wins for a team in a single season, taking 81 compared to the all-time best at WorldTour level of 85 for Columbia-HTC, when Mark Cavendish was at the height of his sprinting powers. But apart from Pogačar himself, no less than 18 UAE riders took wins, including Fisher-Black himself with a stage of the Vuelta a Asturias.
"It's a very clear example, they have almost every rider winning races. So I’m excited to see what [Evenepoel's arrival] can do for the whole team," Fisher-Black pointed out.
"Remco is one rider, but he can bring this feeling to the team that can make it get some more success in other places."
Red Bull have taken 20 victories this year from 11 riders, with Fisher-Black's New Zealand Time Trial National Championships triumph one of the earliest. Evenepoel may well bring them more victories of his own, but as Fisher-Black says, one of the most interesting knock-on effects will be how – or if – he can lift the team's level in general, too.
