“I can inspire a few young people” – Florian Lipowitz returns home a hero and wins criterium race

Florian Lipowitz returned home from the Tour de France as a star, with a white jersey and a spot on the final podium as proof. The 24-year-old German finished third overall, behind only Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, capping off a breakthrough summer for both himself and his Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team. Days after the Tour, Lipowitz joined teammates at the Bruckmühler Cycling Night, a post-Tour tradition where riders meet local fans, this time drawing a crowd of about 5,000. The reception was loud, local, and fitting for a rider whose stock has soared in recent months.

"On the one hand, of course, it's nice, but I still have to grow into it a bit," Lipowitz said in a team press release. "If I can inspire a few young people for cycling through my success, then that's worth just as much as a podium."

His rise over the past year had been steady: a seventh-place finish at the 2024 Vuelta, runner-up at Paris-Nice, before he experience a true breakout at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he took third overall and claimed the white jersey. That same form carried into July, where he managed to hold off veterans and Oscar Onley to become the top young rider and finish third in Paris.

Lipowitz was particularly impressive on the Hautacam, where he kicked hard in the final section of the climb, and finished close behind Jonas Vingegaard. It seems he still has the same form even now he has returned home.

“Luckily, I still had the legs from the Tour and was able to ride to the front again,” Lipowitz said. “I'm just super happy.” His win at Bruckmühl showed that his Tour form hadn’t faded, and his ability to animate a race from deep in the field remains one of his best assets. The team’s improved Tour performance in 2025, compared to Red Bull’s first appearance in 2024, also signals bigger ambitions ahead.