"I saw them afterwards and they had spoken about it" - Red Bull boss provides update on Evenepoel and Lipowitz tensions at the Tour de France
CyclingFriday, 10 July 2026 at 10:54
Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe's tensions after stage 6 of the Tour de France was one of the most talked about topics, following Remco Evenepoel's extraordinary criticism of Florian Lipowitz - with the Belgian's explosive interview inferring all was not well at the team.
Evenepoel and Lipowitz came into the Tour de France as co-leaders, but in cagey interviews during the race, the two don't appear to be working together well in race situations.
After the stage, Evenepoel claimed he asked Lipowitz to lead him out in the sprint for third place behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. And when he didn't receive his lead-out, he referenced his work for the German at the Vuelta a Catalunya back in spring.
“I asked for a lead-out and I didn’t get it,” Evenepoel said after the stage.
“I think I was rightly angry. In the Tour of Catalonia, I rode on the front for thirty kilometres, now I ask him to ride one kilometer on the front and that doesn’t happen. That did make me angry, yes. That needs to be discussed properly tonight.”
Ralph Denk responds to Red Bull tensions
Following the comments, team boss Ralph Denk has provided an update, stating that the pair have talked it over and that tensions have been squashed - claiming that the comments came in the heat of the moment after an intense stage.
“There was a bit of disagreement and a language barrier, but it also happened in the heat of the moment,” Denk said on the Inside Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe podcast.
He added: “This was after more than 180 kilometres of a mountain stage. It was not a big thing. I saw them afterwards and they had spoken about it. They sat together at dinner and were laughing. The subject is being made much bigger than it really was.”
When it comes to where the team's priorities lie after a dominant Pogacar display gave him a commanding lead in the yellow jersey, Denk insists nothing has changed for the team when it comes to their vision for the race.
Remco Evenepoel
Red Bull's strategy doesn't change
Denk added: “We will approach it exactly as we did before today’s stage. Nothing changes. At the moment, there is no reason to deviate from the plan in any way.”
“The result was very honest. Pogacar was the best, Vingegaard was the second best and then the group with Remco and Florian arrived. For us, it is a good result. We are happy to have two riders up there. Between second and ninth place there are only around two minutes.”
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Denk thinks the two leaders can keep pace with Vingegaard in second place. He remains hopeful both leaders can reach the podium.
He added: “Generally speaking, and judging by what we saw today, I don’t currently see Jonas Vingegaard as being much better than Florian Lipowitz or Paul Seixas. If nothing happens at the very front, second and third place will be decided between seven riders. Nothing has been decided yet.”
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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- Why are we surprised, this was inevitable!slappers6610-07-2026
- he said 'I don’t currently see Jonas Vingegaard as being much better than Florian Lipowitz or Paul Seixas.' --> he did not mention remco in this comparison ... quite telling i would say ...Ketterechts10-07-2026
- Grabbing the Popcorn! The Remco show is gonna Start!Alexcavalera10-07-2026
- Pog looked exhausted at the finish too, though of course happy., and he admitted to Del Toro that he had been on his limit at one point. It's like people are watching different races sometimes, but I guess that's the human experience.Hills3310-07-2026
- Massive respect for Jonas yesterday he dug in and limited losses which could have been even more. I feared for him on the descent of the Tourmalet, for the first couple of kms he did not look in control.slappers6610-07-2026
- LOL! What about now after stage six?MajorPayne10-07-2026
- Remco still doesn't understand team tactics. Lipo was more than 20 seconds ahead at the top. He needs to sit back behind the Lidl riders and the others and save his energy. If the other riders close the gap, he needs to put evertyhing in one lethal attack and time trial home alone. If the others don't catch up, Lipo, his teammate, gains on all but Seixas and del Toro. He can sit in the third group for most of the final ascent with an excuse and then attack them with a few kilometres to go and gain time on everyone but Lipo, del Toro and Seixas. A double win for Red Bull. Instead, he makes sure all of them arrive at the same time. What a selfish idiot. Lipo has beaten him every time over the past year when they met. What an arrogant idiot. Sorry to describe this so lengthily - this is not for the fans (they all get this). This is for Remco, the only one that doesn't get it.MaMu10-07-2026
- yeah what is he upset about? he finished in front of Sepp.mij10-07-2026
- yeah really great point. Lipo crested the summit well ahead of Remcomij10-07-2026
- There are levels in sports and these levels are not fixed, sometimes someone is at level 5, sometimes 2, sometimes 8... but if you have an opponent, from outer space, who is at level 10 from February 2024 on, and you don't have a capacity to ever be at level 10, then what else do we have to talk about?? PS: Usually if you see Pogi all in white before the start, you can immediately place a good bet... for big € !!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales10-07-2026
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