DISCUSSION | Tour de Romandie stage 5 - Lipowitz ready for the Tour? 'Overweight' Tadej Pogacar won’t need to worry much about climbing performances

The Tour de Romandie concluded as Tadej Pogacar added yet another major title to his growing list of achievements. The Slovenian leader of UAE Team Emirates - XRG arrived at the final stage with a firm grip on the general classification and underlined his superiority once more on the climb to Leysin.

The closing stage was far from straightforward. While the opening kilometres featured rolling terrain rather than major ascents, the route still included two categorized climbs to soften the legs early on, Sottens and Vuillens.

The decisive moment, however, was always expected to come on the final ascent to Leysin, a steady 14.3 km climb at 5.9%. Pogacar began the day with a 35 seconds advantage over Florian Lipowitz, leaving little margin for error but plenty of control.

An early breakaway of eight riders animated the first half of the stage. Among them were Gil Gelders, Robbe Dhondt, Finn Fisher-Black, Jan Tratnik, Jakob Soderqvist, Marco Schrettl, Lorenzo Germani and Asbjorn Hellemose. The group managed to build a lead of over three minutes, but the peloton, led by UAE Team Emirates - XRG, never allowed the gap to grow to dangerous proportions.

By the time the race reached the base of the final climb, the breakaway’s advantage had been reduced to under a minute. At that point, Bahrain - Victorious took over the pacing duties, riding in support of Lenny Martinez.

The tempo steadily increased, bringing the remnants of the break within reach. Fisher-Black attempted one last move, briefly extending his effort, but his resistance ended with just over six kilometres remaining.

As the gradient began to bite, Bahrain - Victorious continued to lift the pace, thinning out the peloton. It was Damiano Caruso who delivered a decisive turn on the front, setting the stage for the first real attacks among the favourites. Florian Lipowitz was the first to make his move, launching a sharp acceleration.

Pogacar responded instantly, glued to the German’s wheel. A second attempt from Lipowitz followed shortly after, but again the Slovenian showed no signs of weakness. Pogacar briefly tried to turn the tables with a move of his own, yet Lipowitz remained resilient.

Undeterred, the German rider launched a third attack, testing Pogacar once more, but the race leader stayed composed, choosing his moment carefully and refusing to be drawn into unnecessary effort.

Eventually, Pogacar began to contribute again to the pace, though the hesitation at the front allowed Primoz Roglic to bridge back. With the group regrouped, the stage was set for a final sprint on the climb.

When it came down to it, Pogacar proved untouchable. He launched with authority and powered clear to claim his fourth stage victory of the week, sealing overall triumph in commanding style. It was a performance that left no doubt about his dominance throughout the race.

Behind him, Lipowitz secured second place both on the stage and in the general classification, confirming his consistency over the week. Roglic completed the stage podium, while Martinez did enough to secure third overall. Young talent Jorgen Nordhagen narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in the final standings.

For Pogacar, this victory fills a notable gap in his already illustrious palmarès, adding the Tour de Romandie to a collection that continues to grow at an extraordinary rate.

Florian Lipowitz leaves this Tour de Romandie with his status clearly strengthened. He did not beat Tadej Pogacar, but that is hardly the right measure in a race where the world champion controlled almost every decisive moment.

The more relevant point is that Lipowitz was repeatedly the closest rider to him when the road truly mattered. His race started cautiously rather than spectacularly. In the prologue, he did enough: no major statement, no costly mistake.

That already mattered in such a short stage race. From there, he grew into the race and became one of the few riders who could genuinely follow Pogacar deep into the climbs. The tactical question from stage 1 will remain part of his Romandie story.

When he found himself in the front group, his refusal to work was understandable from a team perspective, with Primoz Roglic behind and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe still balancing two cards. But it also felt like a missed opportunity.

Against Pogacar, hesitation rarely pays. Lipowitz protected the team structure, but he may have sacrificed a chance to put real pressure on the race.Still, his climbing performances were excellent. On the Jaunpass, he was the only rider able to stay with Pogacar after the first acceleration, and he only cracked near the top.

On the final stage, he was again brave enough to attack, even if Pogacar had the answer every time. That matters. Lipowitz did not simply ride for damage limitation; he tried to race. The conclusion is positive. Without Pogacar, Lipowitz probably wins this Tour de Romandie.

With Pogacar present, he finished as the best of the rest and looked more convincing than Roglic, Martinez and the other GC contenders. His performance confirmed that his development is real, his spring form is rising, and his Tour de France ambitions deserve to be taken seriously.

Classic Pogacar, a stage without much history - or let's say, more of a replica of this Saturday's stage. UAE had a profile in which controlling a breakaway would be easy; whilst Bahrain helped in order to try and have a shot at stage victory.

It was never going to be likely, but I like the attitude. Plenty teams in the peloton often don't send riders to the breakaway, don't have them work, they don't really do any work to protect their leaders (because they can't) and they also aren't being saved for anything.

In that sense, plenty teams have spent this day in the back seat just watching the race, not truly being part of it. In the final climb Tadej Pogacar did what he wanted, as in the rest of the race. It's not his best climbing level, as we've understood due to his weight, but he's still above the rest.

He didn't attack, just responded to Florian Lipowitz' attacks and then sprinted to victory. Doesn't need to do more, his race was secured and he would win in whichever scenario he chose. Romandie isn't preparation for any race so there's no reason for him to spend more than what he needs to.

Poker for Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian achieved his long-awaited Tour de Romandie after yet another display of strength in the high mountains, finishing second in the Swiss race. And rightly so, because despite his four victories this week, our two-time world champion seemed to come to Switzerland simply to continue his training.

He could just as well have stayed at the UAE Team training camp, where he might have found greater intensity, as he encountered no real rival other than Dorian Godon in the short prologue and in two fast finishes, which suited the Ineos rider better. By the way, he managed to “snatch” one of them.

The conclusion of the Tour de Romandie leaves us with a clear outlook: there is no greater favorite than Tadej Pogacar. Endurance rider, explosive, fast, and persistent are just four characteristics of the cyclist from the Emirati squad. But only one defines him: Legend, with a capital L.