Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has signed its first contract with a rider from its own junior team. The 21-year-old Scot Callum Thornley will be racing for the WorldTour team from the 2026 season. Thornley has only been riding for the newly founded Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies U23 team for four months. In this short time, he has impressed both in U23 races and in joint outings with the pros. In his first tour of the year, the Volta ao Algarve, he rode alongside Primož Roglič. Shortly afterwards, he secured a podium place in the U23 Istrian Spring Trophy stage race.
Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, explained: "Callum is the first rookie to make the leap into the WorldTour - a real milestone for us. He has shown in a very short space of time what is possible with hard work, talent and the right attitude and has absolutely earned this contract."
Callum Thornley: Fast rise in cycling
Thornley comes from the small Scottish town of Peebles, which is primarily known for its mountain bike trails. He only switched to road cycling late in life. After leaving school, he put all his eggs in one basket and postponed his studies for a year in order to concentrate fully on cycling. This move paid off: After strong performances, he made the leap to the British junior team Trinity Racing. Thornley gained his first international experience in 2023 and 2024. At the Tour of Britain 2024, he made it into the breakaway group of the day twice. In the end, he also secured the mountains jersey - a remarkable achievement among seasoned WorldTour professionals.
From rookie to WorldTour pro
In 2025, Thornley switched to the newly founded Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies. Here he continued his upward trend and recommended himself for a professional contract in record time. At the Volta ao Algarve, he rode alongside top star Primož Roglič, and a few weeks later he finished on the podium at the Croatian stage race Istrian Spring Trophy.
For Thornley, signing the contract is a dream come true. He said: "It feels totally surreal. If someone had told me a year ago that I would sign a contract before the end of April - I would never have believed it. It's crazy: everything changes, but at the same time everything stays the same. He now has the contract he has dreamed of his whole life, and yet it's still the same every day: full throttle in training and winning races."
Callum Thornley remains in the U23 team for the time being
Despite the WorldTour contract, Thornley will remain part of the U23 team until the end of the season. This is where he will continue to develop over the coming months. John Wakefield, Director of Development at Red Bull - BORA - hansgroheemphasised the importance of this step: "This is a big moment - for Callum, but also for our project. Because when one of us takes the next step, it reflects the hard work, commitment and belief of the entire team."
When asked about his long-term goals, he replied on the team website: "I want to ride the Tour de France one day. I know I'm not going to be a Pogačar - but I want to see how good I can become. And throw my arms up a few times in my career, in the really big things - that would be awesome."
Kristian Bauer
Editor
