Borla Hansgrohe and Red Bull have launched a Junior Scout program that uses rider data and performance on Strava segments and Zwift to discover talented riders from around the world.

The two riders discovered through the program this summer will be signed as Red Bull athletes and will join the junior team of Bora Hansgrohe's Team Auto Eder.

In recent years, Louis-Joe Luhrs, who is 19 years old like Sian Uitdebreuks, has moved directly from the juniors to Bora-Hansgrohe's WorldTour team. Luhrs will ride the Tour Down Under with Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley, while Uitdebroeks won the 2022 Tour de l'Avenir and is considered a major future talent in stage racing.

The major WorldTour teams are looking for the best young riders from among the juniors and are fast-tracking their careers through their junior teams and under-23 development teams. Players such as Remco Evenpole (Sourdal Quickstep), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), and Wit de Brueckes jumped onto the World Tour as teenagers and have proven themselves despite still being so young.

Borla Hansgrohe is targeting the Grand Tours and hopes to work with Red Bull to discover talented riders from around the world, including non-traditional cycling continents such as Africa and Asia, with the "Red Bull Junior Brothers" program. Team AutoEd riders can jump to the World Tour level or take their time developing in the two under-23 teams, which operate as feeder teams for Bora-Hansgrohe.

Red Bull Junior Brothers is similar to the Zwift Academy, which allows athletes to join Alpecin Deceuninck's team, but focuses on discovering junior talent. Red Bull supports similar development programs in other sports, especially motor racing.

"This is the first time Red Bull has been involved in a global road cycling project and we are proud to be working with Bora Hansgrohe," said German team manager Ralf Denk.

"The goal of the Red Bull Junior Brothers program is to find cycling's next superstar, iconic rider or Grand Tour winner," explained Melanie Hofbauer, project development. [Anyone from around the world can participate; we'll be scouting the world with Strava segments and Zwift, and anyone born in 2006 and 2007 can apply."

The selection process begins with young athletes targeting rides on specific Strava segments and Zwift routes between February and May. The best riders can apply via the Red Bull website in June, and 15 selected riders will participate in a week-long test at the Red Bull Performance Center in Austria. The two riders selected for the Auto Edel junior team and Red Bull athlete contracts will be announced in September.

"With the proliferation of e-sports and social media, and people not playing sports, it's getting harder to find kids who want to get involved in cycling. I think a global brand like Red Bull can help us reach more young people," said Christian Pemer, director of Bora Hansgrohe, at a presentation in Adelaide.

"The winners in cycling are getting younger and younger. Some teams buy young talent with big money, but we want to develop our own. It's not just about data numbers and performance, but leadership and character. We get the riders we want, coach them, and educate them so we can find the next superstar in cycling."

Jai Hindley is one of the leaders of Bora-Hansgrohe after winning the Giro d'Italia in 2022. The 26-year-old Australian, who took the traditional path to the professional peloton by moving to Europe and racing as an amateur in Italy, has seen the benefits of the Red Bull Junior Brothers scouting program.

"Cycling is a European sport, but there are phenomenally talented riders all over the world and in many countries.

"The support our team offers would be a great help to their careers. Our sport is changing. Luis-Joe Lulus is much more professional than I was at his age and they can perform at a high level even though they are super young. If we don't adapt to the scouting changes, we will be left behind."