Steinhauser's 2025 season was derailed by Lyme Disease, but he has bounced back in 2026, finishing on the podium of Paris-Nice in the white jersey of best young rider, and going on to race and finish his first Tour de France.
“Georg combines climbing ability, race intelligence and an attacking mindset. He has earned his success through hard work over the past few years, and we believe he is still far from reaching his full potential," said Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's chief of sport, Zak Dempster.
"Together, we want to continue supporting his development and provide the best possible environment for him to take the next step in his career."
Steinhauser can be excited about joining a German team, where he will link back up with one of the team's leading stage racers, Florian Lipowitz, the pair having raced together at the Tirol-KTM team before they hit the WorldTour.
"When I was young, I was always a fan of this team and have been impressed by how they kept reaching one goal after another. Joining a German team with a very professional and international approach will certainly be a good platform for me to progress," Steinhauser said.
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"I hope to be able to add to the team’s success with my aggressive style, but also in a strong support role. I’m ready to create lasting memories in the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe kit!"
The length of Steinhauser's contract has not been disclosed, but it is described as a 'multi-year' deal.
Analysis
Patrick Fletcher
When you look at Steinhauser's results over the past couple of years, this doesn't feel like a major signing, but Red Bull are right to say that the German is "still far from reaching his full potential". EF boss Jonathan Vaughters described him as "potentially the most talented Under-23 rider in the world right now" when he signed him for 2022 at a time when he was still studying and working as a welder.
"I think he ends up being on a slower trajectory, but I think he ends up being one of the top stage racers in the world," Vaughters added.
The breakthrough seemed to come at that Giro stage in 2024, when Steinhauser, who caught the eye in the breaks all race, pulled off a brilliant solo win, causing Vaughters to once again wax lyrical about his rider's engine and natural talent.
Now, Vaughters does do this a lot, but with Steinhauser the broad consensus is that all the raw ingredients are there. What he has lacked is consistency, while a key kick-on year in 2025 was ravaged by illness. His Paris-Nice podium was a bit of an outlier in terms of his results this season, but that was a brutal race with a quality field and a reminder of Steinhauser's potential.
Quite how he fits in at Red Bull remains to be seen. He has described himself as an aggressive stage-hunter but previously indicated his desire to develop into a GC rider. He'll find that more difficult at Red Bull, where the team have Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz as leaders, plus proven Grand Tour contenders such as Jai Hindley and Dani Martinez, and up-and-coming talents like Giulio Pellizzari and Luke Tuckwell. That's not to mention the teenage super-talent, Lorenzo Finn, who's joining next year.
As such, Steinhauser won't have the freedom he enjoyed at EF, whether it's GC riding or even having the chance to go in breaks, but if he feels he can finally build consistency in a fresh environment, then that's the most important factor for the rider at this point.
As for the team, if they can get that potential out of him, then they have a big engine to support their ever-growing GC ambitions.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's transfer window so far
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In
Out
Extended
Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost)
Row 1 - Cell 1
Jai Hindley (length not disclosed)
Row 2 - Cell 0
Row 2 - Cell 1
Row 2 - Cell 2
EF Education-EasyPost's transfer window so far
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Juan Felipe Rodriguez (EF Education-Aevolo)
Madis Mihkels (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Row 1 - Cell 2
Gavin Sherry (EF Education-Aevolo)
Row 2 - Cell 1
Row 2 - Cell 2
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Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.
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