"Atmosphere is always good when we're together" - Florian Lipowitz plays down Remco Evenepoel Tour de France dual leadership tensions
Cycling
The question of Red Bull - BORA Hangrohe's 2026 Tour de France leadership raises more eyebrows than most as fans wonder if it's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen or whether their dual leadership platter could burn the other general classification leaders. Last year's podium finisher Florian Lipowitz says that he and new signing Remco Evenepoel are working well together ahead of July.
Evenepoel was the big name signing over the winter, adding one of cycling's top stars to the german team's locker. With the Belgian's arrival came a scheduling debate. Evenepoel is also a former Tour de France podium finisher and has made no secret of his desires to race the Tour de France with his new team, meanwhile Lipowitz guaranteed his place with his 2025 performances.
Red Bull saw it as an asset and hope to use a dual leadership strategy in their attempts to break the Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard monopoly on the yellow jersey. The first big step towards doing so won't happen in France, but in Spain's high mountains of Sierra Nevada.
Lipowitz and Evenepoel form the core of the team's current three-week long altitude training camp. Other riders are Slovenians Primoz Roglic and Jan Tratnik, as well as Belgians Maxim Van Gils and Gianni Vermeersch. They're hard at work, with Lipowitx taking on a gruelling four hour interval session in the 35 degree heat. But the German knows it will help him take the heat served up in the tour's kitchen.
"Quite exhausting. We can prepare for very warm weather here, and then I won't mind if it gets really hot during the tour – better too warm than too cold," Lipowitz told Radsport News.
Tour de France team
When it comes to Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe's team composition come the July 4th Grand Depart, Lipowitz hopes that he'll have a fellow German to rely on for a high-stress three weeks. However, he's enjoying forming stronger bonds with his teammates on the training camp.
He said: "In the end, I would of course always like to have a German rider by my side. It's sometimes a bit easier during those three weeks if you can occasionally exchange a word in German."
"But basically, we have a good atmosphere in the team overall - regardless of which riders we end up with at the start of the tour. A high-altitude training camp like this, when you train, eat and spend time here every day in a group of six or seven, naturally also brings you closer together."
Tour of Slovenia and Evenepoel relationship
Lipo remains at Sierra Nevada until June 10th, before taking on the Tour of Slovenia. Afterwards, he'll have another week at altitude in Kühtai, Austria. The main idea of the low-key build-up is to control stress.
"The tour will be a bit calmer, without overly high expectations, without too much stress," he hopes.
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The question of Lipowitz and Evenepoel has garnered much debate, but the German has cooled any talk of tension. He inisists they work well together, pointing to their performances as part of the same team in the Tour of Catalunya in spring.
"I think it's going pretty well. We worked well together in Catalonia, and the atmosphere is always good when we're together," Lipowitz said.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
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