A conflict has already arisen between the two co-captains, Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel, in the Red Bull team following the first tough mountain stage of the Tour de France. “Yes, I was angry – and rightly so. During the Tour of Catalonia, I rode at the front for him for 30 kilometres. I asked to lead for one kilometre, but that wasn’t possible. That annoyed me, and it’s something we need to discuss thoroughly this evening,” Evenepoel was quoted as saying in the Belgian media.
This stems from the chase on the sixth stage following the descent from the Tourmalet. Evenepoel and Lipowitz were part of a group of eight riders chasing the breakaway leader, stage winner Tadej Pogacar, and second-placed Jonas Vingegaard. Vingegaard, at least, could have caught up with the group, but in the end they were 19 seconds behind the Danish Giro winner. Pogacar had a lead of almost three minutes over Evenepoel and his teammates.
In the run-up to the tour, team manager Ralph Denk had dismissed any concerns about potential friction between the unlikely pair. “I’m convinced it will work out very well,” Denk had said.
Lipowitz performs better in high mountains
It was particularly bitter for the ever-confident double Olympic champion Evenepoel that, on the Tourmalet, he not only had to let the two stars, Pogacar and Vingegaard, pull away, but also lost just under 20 seconds to Lipowitz. This was an early indication that the German, who finished third last year, is the stronger rider in the high mountains. Evenepoel then managed to close the gap again on the descent.
Lipowitz himself had said after crossing the finish line that the collaboration with Evenepoel had gone well. “I think we can be confident,” he said.
Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
