He could have kept a low profile, remained inconspicuous. But he couldn't and didn't want to. When Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard recently started their duel for the role of favourite in the upcoming Tour de France at the Dauphiné Tour in the Alps, on the final kilometres up to the Valmeinier ski station, Florian Lipowitz couldn't keep to himself: The pro in the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe jersey followed the two riders' attacks and clung to the Dane's rear wheel for a while. Many experienced tour specialists were unable to do this and fell behind. Not the double Olympic champion and Tour bronze medallist from the previous year, Remco Evenepoel, not Enric Mas, who has already finished on the podium four times at the Tour of Spain, not the Tour fifth of 2023 Carlos Rodriguez, not the US talent Matteo Jorgenson - and Emanuel Buchmann, recently the best German Tour specialist, even less so.
A challenger to be taken seriously
The 24-year-old Swabian Lipowitz visibly forced his way into the role of the first challenger to the two riders who most recently decided the victories in the Tour de France between themselves. At the end of the eight-day tour through the French Alps, he finished third overall and defended the white jersey as a young rider. "He's very young, very strong. We have to keep an eye on him," said Vingegaard. The statement was an accolade. Few Germans have ever done so well at the Dauphiné: Udo Bölts won the race in 1997, 22 years later Emanuel Buchmann finished third. And now the newcomer from Laichingen, a town of 12,000 inhabitants in the Swabian Alb. The performance in June was both an impressive showcase of talent and a successful test of form for the rather reserved racer off the track. Ahead of his first start in the Tour de France on 5 July 2025, he has become a beacon of hope in Germany. Between Flensburg and Oberstdorf, there was always euphoria when a cyclist from his country fuelled hopes that he could come close to the yellow jersey - from Didi Thurau in 1977 to Jan Ullrich and Andreas Klöden, who was the last German on the Tour podium behind Oscar Pereiro in second place in 2006. And Lipowitz has now proven that his performances are not one-offs, but that he is on a straight path to the top of the world, permanently: seventh at the Tour of Spain last year, despite being a helper in the team for Primoz Roglic. Last March, he finished second in Paris Nice behind US super-rounder Matteo Jorgenson, and shortly afterwards came fourth in the mountainous Tour of the Basque Country.
Hopes, expectations, pressure?
The TV channels ARD and Eurosport headlined their preview reports with a focus on the up-and-coming German tour specialist as "hopeful" - the word was also used in the headlines of the preliminary coverage of the major German news agencies ahead of the Tour de France 2025. "He's my secret favourite for the podium. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the same names in the top three as at the Dauphiné," says Eurosport expert Jens Voigt. Secret favourite, hope sounds good at first - but there are expectations and pressure behind it. And you usually have a burden to carry - even as the bearer of the hopes of a cycling nation. Jan Ullrich can tell you about it. Lipowitz is unconcerned ahead of his debut: "If you can play a part in making cycling in Germany a bit bigger again, that's obviously a nice thing. But at the end of the day, I don't want to be the centre of attention. That's why I'm trying to block it out a bit." Up until now, he has ridden his bike almost unnoticed - now he is suddenly at the third most important sporting event in the world and has to endure the spotlight, interviews and media appointments. And not just when things are going well.
Late developers in the fast lane
But Lipowitz has always successfully mastered difficult circumstances. People from the Swabian Alb say that the young Florian Lipowitz was a late bloomer, the smallest for a long time, but always hot on the heels of his brother Philipp, who was a year older. Back then, his endurance talent was particularly evident in cross-country skiing. His little brother was already in the fast lane, but the late growth spurt had not yet set in - initially mainly in cross-country skiing. Now he has to prove his talent under the eyes of millions, albeit in a minor role for the time being, because the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team officially rely on captain Primoz Roglic. But the Slovenian will be 36 in autumn - at this age, hardly any rider has been able to keep up at the front of the Tour. The oldest Tour winner in the recent past was Cadel Evans - the Australian triumphed in 2011 at the age of 34. At least Geraint Thomas managed third place three years ago at a similar age to Roglic.
Made in Tyrol
His former companions and supporters have high hopes for the young professional cyclist. "For me, there's no question who the captain of the Tour will be," says Thomas Pupp, whose Tirol-KTM team gave the young German, who lives in Seefeld in Tyrol, his first chance to prove himself in cycling. He says: "Lipo" should have already overtaken Roglic in the team hierarchy. The young Lipowitz attracted attention because he won the Engadin Cycling Marathon as a teenager. The results of a subsequent performance test with the respected cycling and triathlon coach Dan Lorang were a promise that a great talent could be landed who had a lot of potential due to a very short racing career. Other future professionals such as Patrick Konrad, Gregor Mühlberger, Georg Zimmermann, Georg Steinhauser and Felix Engelhardt also grew up in the same racing stable, which is committed to developing young talent, and from there made the leap to World Tour teams. Lipowitz is rumoured to have had the best physical abilities of all of them. He also had the bite that Steinhauser and Zimmermann showed when something was at stake on the racing bike. "Lipo", as he is known in cycling, has his roots in the Swabian Alb, where he was able to go cross-country skiing almost on his doorstep in winter. He spent his final school years as a biathlete at the well-known sports boarding school in Stams/Tyrol. A knee injury and, in his own opinion, rather poor performances at the shooting range put the brakes on his career in winter sports - unlike his brother Philipp, who is one year older and won the junior world championship title in the biathlon in Obertilliach in 2021.
Good genes
The Lipowitz sons have inherited their talent and enthusiasm for endurance sports. Father Marc has been well-known in the cycling marathon scene for decades, has won the Engadin Cycling Marathon himself and has a best time of 7:12 hours at the "Ötztaler". His mother Evelyn is an enthusiastic long-distance runner. And cycling was always part of the family holiday: sometimes it was from Geneva to Nice through the Alps, sometimes across the Pyrenees. Others are lounging by the pool at this age. The youngest Lipowitz's outstanding physical disposition was evident in tests: A maximum oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max) of around 80 ml O2/min/kg is considered a prerequisite for a successful career in endurance sports - but this value is just a promise, nothing more. Doctor of sports science and trainer Peter Leo accompanied Lipowitz, a career changer, through his first years in cycling and emphasises: "Many people have these values, but many fail, stop early or don't get beyond the Conti level." Lipowitz has even more qualities. Bite, inner calm, the necessary muscles, the ability to learn and good riding technique, which many newcomers often lack. "They fall very often," Leo knows from experience. Lipowitz also had painful experiences; in his first races for the Tyroleans, he hit the tarmac hard - he just wanted to go home and doubted whether it wouldn't have been better to keep trying in the biathlon.
No lightweight
The doubts have long since vanished. The former biathlete has established himself as one of the world's best cyclists - especially when it comes to the overall classification of difficult stage races. He can climb very well, even if he is by no means a mountain goat with his body weight of 68 kilograms and height of 1.81 metres. His compatriot Buchmann weighs around nine kilograms less at a comparable height. At the top of the world, these are worlds apart - and the watts per kilogramme quotient is decisive when riding uphill. At the Dauphiné, Lipowitz also proved that he no longer loses much to the best in the battle against the clock. Aerodynamics expert Dan Bigham, who switched from Team INEOS Grenadiers to Red Bull, had the young German ride through a disused railway tunnel in England for aero tests - which probably helped to save a few watts of power on the time trial bike. Even his employer, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, is now convinced of the ability of the lateral entrant. There, the up-and-coming professional cyclist is being hailed as their own success project, and according to industry rumours, his contract has been extended until 2027. However, rumour has it that the top German racing team was reluctant to offer the talent his first World Tour contract for the following year in 2022.
Just as normal, please!
"I'm happy when I can live my life normally without being in the public eye," Lipowitz recently told the German Press Agency. A normal life as a cyclist together with his girlfriend Antonia Weeger, herself a successful mountain biker. It is a sentence whose meaning can only be fully understood if you know more about top-class sport and the consequences in the Lipowitz family. Big brother Philipp, his role model and sporting companion, with whom he once attended the sports high school in Stams, coped badly with his World Championship title in the biathlon. The triumph led to a severe depression. An illness that the older of the two brothers made public in the south-west press - including mention of suicidal thoughts: "I'm glad I survived it," he told the local regional newspaper. The older brother said that he had got "totally carried away" with his sporting success, specifically qualifying for the Biathlon World Cup, and had put himself under "extreme pressure". At home in Laichingen, where his father Marc runs a company for security technology and alarm systems, he doesn't want to experience anything like that again. The cycling enthusiast does not want to talk to the media for the time being. Junior Florian should now take his time and ride his first Tour de France, he says, and they can always talk afterwards.
Strength lies in tranquillity
Reassuringly, Florian Lipowitz is also said to have a great talent for approaching things with great calm and relaxation - when it's not about more complicated racing situations. "If he switches his head on a bit, he can ride even harder," says Nils Politt, team-mate of top favourite Pogacar. He says: "Lipo" needs to conserve his energy reserves even more and concentrate his efforts on the really decisive moments in the race. But perhaps the up-and-comer's greatest strength is that he doesn't switch on his head too often, doesn't think too much. What is the point of a young man thinking about whether it is possible to carry the expectations of a country with a population of 80 million on his shoulders? Perhaps he also has the talent to simply drive away from expectations - as fast as he can...
About the person
Florian Lipowitz (Germany)
- Born 21.9.2000 (24 years old)
- Height: 1.81 metres
- Weight: 68 kg
- Place of residence: Seefeld in Tirol (Austria)
- Teams: Tirol KTM Cycling Team (2020-2022), Bora-hansgrohe/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe (since 2023)
- Professional since: 2023
- Professional victories: 3
- Major successes: Engadin Cycling Marathon (2019), stage and overall classification Czech Tour (2023); Sibiu Tour, third Tour de Romandie, seventh Vuelta a Espana, DM second road (2024); second Paris-Nice, third and junior classification Critérium du Dauphiné (2025)
Andreas Kublik
Editor
