“Florian Lipowitz is only a small step behind Pogacar and Vingegaard” - Jens Voigt backs compatriot as Red Bull’s Grand Tour leader

Florian Lipowitz’s third place at the Volta a Catalunya has reinforced what his results over the past year have already suggested. He is no longer an outsider trying to break into the elite of Grand Tour racing, but a rider operating just behind the sport’s two dominant forces.

That is the view of iconic German ex-pro turned Eurosport analyst Jens Voigt, who believes the German has consistently shown he can match the very best when it matters most.

Reflecting on both the 2025 Tour de France and this latest week in Catalunya, Voigt pointed to a clear pattern: “Whether at last year’s Tour or now in Catalunya, when Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard attacked, Lipowitz was one of the few riders who always tried to follow.”

In his assessment, the gap is now minimal. “He is only a small step behind Pogacar and Vingegaard,” Voigt said, adding that “in the mountains, he is closer than in the time trial. There, Pogacar, Vingegaard and also Evenepoel have advantages.”

Rather than representing a breakthrough, Lipowitz’s Catalunya podium forms part of a consistent run of results at the very top of the sport. His third place at the Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné in 2025 has already established him among the leading general classification riders, and Voigt believes those performances are now beyond question.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with how he’s riding and how he’s handling all the attention since his third place at the Tour de France,” he said, pointing to the growing expectations around the German. “Many German fans hope Florian will be the next German Tour winner. It’s fascinating how he deals with that and how grounded he has remained.”

That consistency, in Voigt’s eyes, is decisive. “His consistent performances are no longer anything to do with luck. He has been delivering for a year now and has arrived among the very best.”

Despite that status, Voigt’s analysis makes clear where the remaining gap to Pogacar and Vingegaard can be found. It is not a question of endurance or consistency, but of specific race situations.

Looking first at the time trial, Voigt noted that “he can improve… by becoming more aerodynamic and spending a lot of time on the time trial bike so his body adapts.”

But the more significant difference comes in the mountains, where “Vingegaard and Pogacar have a more explosive acceleration,” Voigt explains. "Lipowitz uses more of a ‘diesel engine’ approach to bring them back gradually.”

That contrast becomes most evident at the sharpest moments of a climb. “At the first brutal acceleration, he can’t follow. If he did, he would quickly go into the red and need ten minutes to recover. Those hard accelerations and changes of rhythm are where Vingegaard and Pogacar have the advantage. They can attack hard three times in a row," clarifies the German.

Those limitations, however, are framed as marginal rather than structural. Voigt is clear that Lipowitz’s strengths already align with the demands of Grand Tour racing, particularly over three weeks.

“This is not criticism of Florian, it’s something he can still improve,” he said, before underlining where Lipowitz already excels. “His big strength is endurance over a Grand Tour. He is especially strong in the final week. Three consecutive mountain stages are not a problem for him.”

Ultimately, the conclusion is a simple one. “There are only small details left for him to work on.”

Taken together, that assessment places Lipowitz in a rare position within the current peloton. Not chasing the leading pair from a distance, but operating just behind them, with clearly defined areas to improve.

And if those marginal gains can be found, the gap Voigt describes may not remain for long.