"He's important for Primoz Roglic" but Red Bull - BORA boss insists GC ambitions for Florian Lipowitz 'make no sense' at 2025 Tour de France

Florian Lipowitz was arguably the rider to come away from the 2025 Criterium du Dauphiné with the most momentum. Whilst most expected Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel to lock out the podium, the 24-year-old German starred to finish 3rd overall. Despite however, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Chief of Sport Rolf Aldag, it makes no sense to expect something similar at the upcoming Tour de France.

"If I remind you of where Remco Evenepoel was in last year's Dauphiné and where he was at the Tour, then he was a completely different rider," Aldag explained in conversation with Cycling News. "So I would always be careful to assume something or to predict something from that Dauphiné clash. We know they produce really big numbers already in that race, but we don't think they were all in the Tour shape. If they were and somebody's already on the turning point and dropping performance in the Tour, well, that would be a positive surprise for us."

"He dropped Remco by nearly two minutes, I would not expect that to be the standing after two mountain stages in the Tour de France," continues Aldag. "I think you fool yourself if you just think 'We have everything under control, it's easy going.' We would rather with one thing being clear: you have to be as good as you can be. There's just no alternative to that, and then, if the others are better, you accept it; if the others made a mistake, well, then you can profit from it big time."

As such, Aldag is keen to limit expectations of Lipowitz in what is just the German's third ever Grand Tour and first ever appearance at the Tour de France. "It's a massive learning experience for Florian, but I would definitely not be talking him up now onto the row of Tour favourites, because everybody else has experience in the Tour, more experience in Grand Tours than he has, and we have to take that into consideration," he explains. 

The main goal for Lipowitz, therefore, is helping team leader Primoz Roglic in the high mountains. "His performance shows there's a lot in there, but it's just impossible to predict. Therefore, I think what's best is you let him be in the high mountains, close to Primoz and stay by his side," Aldag says. "He's important for Primoz, because at the end of the day, if you turn around and you can dominate by numbers, it always gives you a good feeling because you can share the pain."

"If you're isolated, say in a group of 15 guys, everyone else has one or two, and you're alone, that already cracks you mentally," Aldag concludes. "So the company of a teammate, I do think this is a big upside, this avoidance of loneliness at the heart rate of 190bpm and to say, 'I'm not alone here'."