"Ego will play a role there as well" - Red Bull's Evenepoel and Lipowitz leadership debate rages on ahead of Tour de France
CyclingWednesday, 01 July 2026 at 14:02
Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe will start Saturday's team time trial and get their Tour de France underway with one major question that most teams simply don't have - who is their leader?
When it comes to the general classification, the German team have publicly stated that both Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz will assume a dual leadership. The team have stressed on multiple occasions that it is an equal role, however, team boss Ralph Denk recently seemingly confirmed it's Evenepoel who will ultimately be the first man.
With both riders finishing on the podium in the last two editions - Lipowitz in 2025 and Evenepoel in 2024 - both will be confident that they can repeat that achievement. One analyst doesn't see the same as Denk as he puts Lipowitz as his leader.
In the podcast Live Slow, Ride Fast, Thomas Dekker said: "I think that after the past few months, Lipowitz is even slightly higher in the pecking order at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe."
Evenepoel's Tour de France preparations
Much has been speculated about Evenepoel's shape heading to the Grand Depart. The Belgian hasn't raced since mid-April after liege-Bastogne-Liege as he took a training-first approach and sat out all preparation races. Dekker thinks while saving the mental vulnerabilities of coming up short before the Tour at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, it's a high stakes opening day.
A prolific time trialist, Dekker wonders what will happen from the outset as Red Bull manage the time trial world champion's obvious strength with their dual leadership. In short, Dekker thinks ego could play a role, implying either rider could look to make a statement.
He said: "That is also a mental factor, of course. What if you falter again in the Dauphiné [Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, ed.]... It will be interesting to see what happens within that team during the team time trial. Ego will play a role there as well."
Dekker dismisses Seixas and Evenepoel's GC chances
Looking at the lay of the land, he's poured cold water over Evenepoel or teen sensation Paul Seixas' chances: "Pogacar is really at the top. Vingegaard might have a small chance. But Seixas and Evenepoel certainly don't."
Evenepoel has highlighted that he's in good shape ahead of the weekend, but Dekker believes those statements were inevitable. In a damning warning, he claimed he would not want to be the 26-year-old right now.
"Of course, he also has to say that he is going to be that good. He makes a move like that with such a salary... He is also an undisputed multiple winner. But I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."
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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