Tom Bachmann, dpa
For Florian Lipowitz, competing in the World Championships is, in a way, also a means of combating the threat of boredom. Instead of ending the season, the German cycling hopeful has been pushing himself through rehabilitation to be fit for the season’s final highlight in Montreal. “It would otherwise have been quite a long year,” Lipowitz told the German Press Agency. “I needed a goal to draw motivation from. That made my rehabilitation easier.”
With defending champion Tadej Pogacar absent, the race in Canada is more wide open than it has been for a long time. Before the Slovenian’s crash – which ended his season – the rest of the elite field had resigned themselves to competing for second place. Now many are thinking about their chances of victory. Lipowitz, however, has quite different thoughts on the matter.
Almost exactly two months ago, he crashed onto the tarmac in a right-hand bend during the Tour de France time trial. A broken collarbone, an operation, two weeks of complete bed rest. But now the 26-year-old is here, sitting in good spirits at the team hotel with a view of the mighty St Lawrence River, assessing his chances. “I’ve tried to be in the best possible shape. It certainly won’t be enough for a really good result,” said Lipowitz, adding: “But the World Championships are special. A lot can happen there.”
Lipowitz’s performance curve
It’s not that the 270-kilometre-plus route, with its gruelling final laps on Mont Royal, doesn’t suit a rider like Lipowitz. But ultimately, he may still lack the explosive power needed to be right up there at the front in the closing stages. Internally, his form is estimated to be at around 80 per cent. In three races in Italy, Lipowitz has been trying to build up his racing stamina. “In terms of intensity, that’s done me good,” he reported.
Added to this is Lipowitz’s record in one-day races, which, as a confirmed stage racer, is rather modest. The simple reason for this is that he hardly ever competes in them. As for the classics, he lined up once in the 2024 Tour of Lombardy but did not finish the race. For the German team, however, having their star rider on the start line is a valuable asset. “The name Lipowitz looms large over everything,” said national coach Jens Zemke.
Chaos without radio?
The 59-year-old will have Nico Denz ride for Lipowitz in the race; he could act as “his bodyguard”. However, the presence of the former Tour bronze medallist also ensures that the competition won’t be focusing quite so much on the other riders. This could therefore open up opportunities for German champion Felix Engelhardt or Marco Brenner, who has been in strong form recently. Engelhardt is expecting a “tough, fair elimination race”.
It has already been six years since a German rider finished in the top ten at the World Championship. Maximilian Schachmann finished ninth at Imola in 2020. In Montreal, the experienced rider knows what will be crucial. “You need strong legs on this course. That accounts for 80 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent is tactics,” explained the 32-year-old.
As radio communication is not permitted at the World Championships, experience and instinct play a major role. “And on this course, it’s important to ride aggressively, with your elbows out. Positioning is key – you can’t afford to take your eye off the ball,” said Schachmann. And without radio communication, the national coach emphasised, it could turn into a chaotic race.
Gold favourite from France
Zemke also urges the team not to hold back. They don’t want to just go with the flow, but to make their mark. They’d rather take a risk for a big win than play it safe. “If we end up well represented in the group, then we’d rather go on the attack,” said Zemke. The roles will be allocated on Saturday evening: “Then the lads need to be honest and assess for themselves what they’re capable of.”
He’s unlikely to win the title. That would be nothing short of a sensation. After all, the competition is as strong as it is numerous. There’s the young Paul Seixas, who has the full backing of the French team. Alongside time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel, the 19-year-old probably has the best chance of winning gold. But the Mexican Isaac Del Toro, the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and Evenepoel’s Belgian compatriot Wout van Aert also want to – and are capable of – celebrating on the Avenue du Parc with a gold medal around their necks.
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