"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
Cycling
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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