“I was rightly angry... That needs to be discussed properly tonight” – Remco Evenepoel slams Florian Lipowitz as Red Bull tension boils over at Tour de France
Cycling
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe left the first high-mountain stage of the 2026 Tour de France with two riders inside the top seven overall, but also with an immediate internal flashpoint after Remco Evenepoel publicly criticised teammate Florian Lipowitz at the finish in Gavarnie-Gedre.
Evenepoel finished fourth on Stage 6, 2:57 behind Tadej Pogacar, after helping drive the chase group back together following Pogacar’s attack on the Col du Tourmalet. Lipowitz was sixth on the stage, with the pair now fourth and seventh overall respectively after a brutal day that left Pogacar back in yellow.
“I was rightly angry”
Evenepoel looked irritated after the finish, and later made clear that his frustration was directed at Lipowitz. The Belgian felt he had asked for a short turn from his teammate in the final phase of the stage, only to be left without the help he wanted.
“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 kilometre on the front and that doesn’t happen. That did make me angry, yes. That needs to be discussed properly tonight.”
Pogacar had already gone clear on the Tourmalet, with Vingegaard chasing behind and the rest of the GC riders trying to limit their losses. Evenepoel was one of the most active riders in the chase, bringing the group back towards Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas and Lipowitz after the descent.
By the finish, Del Toro, Evenepoel, Seixas, Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose all crossed the line together, 2:57 behind Pogacar. Sepp Kuss finished 10th, 3:06 down, after the group split in the final metres.
Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz at the 2026 Tour de France team presentation
Evenepoel questions chase cooperation
Evenepoel also pointed to Lidl-Trek’s lack of work in the chase. He accepted that Del Toro and Kuss had clear tactical reasons not to ride, with Pogacar and Vingegaard ahead, but felt others had little to gain by refusing to contribute.
“I understand that Kuss and Del Toro don’t ride, that is all normal,” Evenepoel said. “But Lidl-Trek were still there with two riders and they didn’t want to ride. What did we still have to lose? Unfortunately, the cooperation was not optimal.”
Evenepoel still took fourth on the stage and moved to fourth overall, 3:30 behind Pogacar and only three seconds behind Del Toro in the fight for the final podium place. Lipowitz sits seventh overall at 4:00, giving Red Bull two riders inside the top seven after the Tour’s first major mountain test.
The Belgian was more satisfied with his own climbing and descending. He said the pace on the Tourmalet had been fierce, but that he had deliberately avoided going too deep before the long descent.
“It was pretty okay,” he said. “It went extremely hard on the Tourmalet, but I wasn’t planning to over-rev myself, with that long descent in mind. I knew I could still come back, and that worked. Overall, I’m satisfied.”
Red Bull leave the first high-mountain stage with Evenepoel fourth overall, Lipowitz seventh, and both riders still inside the podium fight. The result is strong on paper, but Evenepoel’s comments have given the team an immediate internal issue to settle after the Tourmalet.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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