Alexander Hajek will leave Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe for Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber in 2027, stepping down from the WorldTour after three seasons with the German team. The 23-year-old Austrian, who won his national road race championship in 2024, becomes the Italian ProTeam’s latest signing for next season.
Hajek has spent much of his time at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe supporting more established riders in major stage races, while his own opportunities have produced promising results in shorter tours. Moving to Bardiani offers a different racing programme and the prospect of taking on more responsibility.
WorldTour experience after joining Bora in 2024
Hajek turned professional with Bora-Hansgrohe in 2024 after earlier spells with Trinity Racing and Tirol KTM Cycling Team. Within his first season he claimed the Austrian elite road race title, adding a national champion’s jersey to a year in which he was also seventh overall at the Tour of Türkiye.
That early success gave him a foothold in the WorldTour squad. His second season brought a series of one-week races, including the Volta a Catalunya, Tour of the Basque Country and Tour de Romandie, where he worked for the team’s more established leaders rather than pursuing his own results.
The strongest indication of his stage-racing potential came at the 2025 Tour de Hongrie. A sixth-place finish on the race’s decisive climbing stage helped Hajek finish fourth in the overall classification, an opportunity that arose after teammate Frederik Wandahl crashed out of contention.
He also finished eighth overall at the Czech Tour and tenth at CRO Race later that year. Those rides suggested he could be competitive in week-long races when given the chance to race for a placing, even if consistency remained a work in progress.
A new opportunity after a quieter 2026
Hajek’s third campaign at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe did not bring another national title or the same general classification results. He finished 63rd overall at the Tour de Suisse and 37th at the Tour of Austria, with much of his season again spent in service of the team.
His strengths have tended to show on hilly and mountainous courses. At 23, he has time to develop as a stage racer, but a crowded WorldTour roster leaves fewer opportunities for younger riders to lead without a more established contender alongside them.
Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber offers a different setting. The Italian squad competes at UCI ProTeam level, where its calendar combines Italian one-day races, shorter international stage races and opportunities to seek invitations to higher-profile events. It has a long record of giving developing riders room to race aggressively rather than asking them to work exclusively for a single leader.
The move does not guarantee Hajek a leadership role in every race. It does, however, put him in a team where results on the climbs and in shorter stage races could become a clearer measure of his progress.
Bardiani adds a fourth rider for 2027
Hajek follows Juan David Sierra, Simone Raccani and Davide De Cassan among Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber’s confirmed new arrivals for 2027. Raccani joins from Team UKYO after winning the Tour of Armenia overall, while De Cassan moves from General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia following a four-win 2026 campaign.
The recruitment points towards a squad looking for depth in demanding races. Raccani and De Cassan have both been recruited following strong performances in shorter stage races, and Hajek brings experience of those events at a higher competitive level.
For the Austrian, the change marks the first move of his professional career since joining the WorldTour in 2024. His fourth place at the Tour de Hongrie remains his best overall result in an international stage race, and performances of that kind will be the benchmark when he starts racing in Bardiani colours next season.
