Team Bora-Hansgrohe is strengthening its ranks for the coming season with Victor Koretzky. The 28-year-old Frenchman comes from the French team B&B Hotels-KTM, which is probably on the brink of collapse.
This is Bora-Hansgrohe newcomer Koretzky
Koretzky has only been riding professionally on the road since the beginning of 2022 and won a stage of the Alpes Isere Tour, a small French race, at the end of May. However, the 28-year-old has made a name for himself primarily on the mountain bike. In 2011, he was world junior cross-country champion. He won a total of three world championship titles with the French cross-country relay team (2011, 2015, 2016).
At the Olympic MTB race 2021 in Tokyo Koretzky was 5th in cross-country, in the same year he won bronze in cross-country at the World Championships in Val di Sole, his first medal in the individual elite category at a World Championships. In 2021, the Frenchman also won the World Cup race in Albstadt.
Bora-Hansgrohe team manager on Koretzky transfer
For Ralph Denk, Team Manager of Bora-Hansgrohe, the signing of Koretzky is a welcome opportunity to broaden his team beyond road cycling. "I have to say, I'm really pleased that we were able to sign Victor. We have already presented ourselves off the road in the past, but with the signing of Victor we are now taking a strategic approach to this issue."
Koretzky is set to compete in road, mountain bike and gravel races. "The plan is for him to continue racing in the MTB World Cup, but he will also complete a reduced racing programme on the road. As far as the type of rider he is, I can well imagine that one or two semi-classics in the spring should suit him well. We'll have to see how this works in practice and it's also new territory for us. But it's definitely a new challenge that I'm looking forward to," says Denk.
But my big dream is the 2024 Olympic MTB race in Paris
The rider is also happy about his move to Bora-Hansgrohe. "I'm over the moon to have this opportunity with Bora-Hansgrohe. I've already been able to gain experience on the road this year, but with a top team it's a whole different ball game. I definitely want to develop further on the road and become a pillar for the team there. But my big dream is the 2024 Olympic MTB race in Paris," explains Koretzky.
B&B Hotels-KTM probably facing the end
At B&B Hotels-KTM, where the newcomer from Bora-Hansgrohe is currently still under contract, the lights are likely to go out soon. As the newspaper Ouest-France reported a few days agoThe French team has not managed to land a new sponsor and secure funding for 2023. As a result, team manager Jerome Pineau is said to have told his riders to look for a new employer.
What's next for Cavendish?
Pineau had big plans for his team. For example, Mark Cavendish was linked to B&B Hotels-KTM and there is even said to have been a verbal agreement with the top sprinter. Among other things, a commitment by the city of Paris to B&B Hotels-KTM was being discussed for financing. However, the deal did not materialise.
As a result, Cavendish still does not have a new team and the pros and staff of B&B Hotels-KTM are facing an uncertain future. Miguel Heidemann, a German rider, is also under contract with the French team.
