Finn prepares for the big leap: "I don't have to put too much pressure on myself."

After a final season as the undisputed master of the Under 23 category, Lorenzo Finn and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are trying to manage expectations ahead of his transition to full-time professional racing, scheduled for January 2027.

The German team announced on Monday that the 19-year-old super talent will be moving up from the Rookies development team to the WorldTour. It's a move that, truth be told, had been in the works for several months.

Finn, who is just three months younger than Paul Seixas , could have turned professional as early as 2026. After winning the Under 23 road world title in 2025, however, he preferred to stay among the youth riders for another year, and the choice paid off: he dominated both the Giro d'Italia Next Gen and the Tour de l'Avenir .

In addition to winning major Under-23 stage races, the young man has also gained a wealth of experience as a professional. He represented the Red Bull WorldTour team, on loan, in several lower-level races, including the Sibiu Tour , which he won. At the World Championships, he then chose to race in the elite category, finishing 55th in a race that most riders didn't finish.

"Becoming a professional cyclist is a dream that's now coming true. You have to stop for a moment and say: I haven't reached my final goal yet, but I have become a pro. It's something I've wanted since I was a kid," Finn said in a team statement.

In the same statement, the team emphasized that the gradual approach to the rider's development will continue even as he moves up a category. Part of the challenge will be managing expectations, after a year that so clearly established him as a future champion. Seixas's example doesn't help: the Frenchman already has two seasons as a pro under his belt, and this year he won a Monument and finished fourth in the Tour de France.

"Now I don't have to put too much pressure on myself," said Finn, who is tipped to be a future rival to Seixas and others in the fight for the Grand Tours.

"First of all, I have to get used to the level. I don't have specific expectations for my first year as a professional. I want to continue to grow throughout the season and help the team."

"I still have time. I'm far from my full potential , but I've reached a level where I can have confidence in myself. Now I feel 100 percent ready for the next step."

When asked about the biggest obstacle he faces among the pros, he replied: "The race distance. I'm managing the mileage of the Under 23s pretty well now, but when I see how long the Monuments and the big professional races are, there's still a lot of work to do."

"It's normal and will be my most important area of ​​development. However, I think I'll improve simply by running these races. Ultimately, it's about being able to perform even after five or six hours."

Finn's 2027 calendar hasn't been finalized yet, but the young Italian has made it clear that he wants to compete in his first Grand Tour in his first season as a professional.

A milestone for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

For the team, Finn is a success story. After starting with the Auto Eder junior team, he became the first rider to progress through all levels of the team's development structure all the way up to the WorldTour.

The Auto Eder team has long been linked to the professional team led by Ralph Denk, while the Rookies program was born in 2025, in Red Bull's first full season as title sponsor.

"Developing our riders is a central element of our strategy. Our goal is to offer young athletes a clear path to the WorldTour," explained the team's Chief of Sports, Zak Dempster .

"Lorenzo is the first rider to have followed this path from the youth categories. It confirms that our model works. At the same time, it's a clear message to the best young talents in the world: if you want to develop in the long term, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe offers the right environment."