Lipowitz happy after seconds thriller in the rain - "Tough week"

Florian Lipowitz was relieved after the seconds-long thriller in the pouring rain. "A tough week is coming to an end. It was a really tough stage. I'm glad that we were still able to secure second place, even if it was only three seconds in the end," said the German cycling star after he had just managed to save second place overall from the Norwegian Tobias Johannessen at the end of the Tour of the Basque Country.

The Tour de France bronze medallist is right on schedule as he builds up his form for the season's climax. After finishing third overall in the high-class Tour of Catalonia, the 25-year-old made it back onto the podium. Lipowitz thus ensured the best German placing in the traditional race since Andreas Klöden's victory in 2011.

Seixas unbeatable

Only the French super talent Paul Seixas was unbeatable this time. The 19-year-old, who took a total of three stage wins in the Basque Country, had a 2:30 minute lead over Lipowitz after six difficult stages with many metres of climbing.

The result for Lipowitz is remarkable considering that the German cycling hopeful only started at short notice. By way of comparison, the former star Primoz Roglic, who was originally intended to be captain, only finished 16th.

Duel with Pogacar

"Now it's definitely time to regenerate for a few days and then prepare for the next goals," emphasised Lipowitz. At the end of April, he will be able to compete with superstar Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de Romandie. The four-time Tour champion will then also be the yardstick at the season highlight in France.

It is possible that Lipowitz will then have another duel with Seixas in the battle for a Tour podium place. In the coming years, France's young star should finally secure the first overall victory for a local rider in the Tour after more than 40 years. The last French victory to date was achieved by Bernard Hinault in 1985.

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