"I will be happy to help him" - Remco Evenepeol may get the support of Florian Lipowitz to defend Tour de France second place
CyclingMonday, 20 July 2026 at 12:00
The Plateau de Solaison has finally created a difference between Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz. With the Belgian rider thriving and winning on the summit finish, ahead of the race's sole individual time trial, it has become apparent that the Olympic Champion is the main card to play.
Lipowitz open to helping Evenepoel
Evenepoel is second in the overall classification, following the withdrawal of Jonas Vingegaard. The victory atop Plateau de Solaison ahead of Tadej Pogacar was not only impressive, but also the decision maker after 15 days of racing.
Until now, Evenepoel and Lipowitz stood virtually the same in all of the race's most difficult stages. Now, there is a difference of 1:48 minutes and three positions between the two.
“We will certainly speak about it within the team, I am open to everything," Lipowitz said as reported by Sporza. "Remco showed today that he can compete right at the front. Tuesday is also his specialty. We will make a plan for the final week, and I will be happy to help him.”
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe was the team that began working after Vingegaard's crash, after the end of the Dane's race, so as to bring back the breakaway of Tom Pidcock. As it turned out, it also perfectly set Evenepoel for his effort.
“We were not that far behind. I think they underestimated the roundabout a little, and then things can happen very quickly," Lipowitz said of the Visma rider's crash. "We were obviously relieved that we had been spared, but it is never nice to see one of the big favourites leave the race in that way.”
Florian Lipowitz at the 2026 Tour de France
A big day for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
On the final climb Evenepoel stayed with Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro; whilst Lipowitz rode with Paul Seixas to the line - distancing Juan Ayuso who struggled and lost a minute to the German rider at the finish.
“The plan was to ride the climb from the bottom at our own pace. In the end, I think it simply came down to the legs.” The 9% climb didn't allow for tactical play between the two, but the outcome was very much ideal.
“It was good to see that Remco could follow Tadej and Del Toro and then even win the stage. For the whole team, it is a huge success. It definitely takes some pressure away. I would say it was a successful day for our team," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- We'll never know, but what evidence?... an anonymous phone tip from some rabid Seixas fan? Certainly not a team car full of dope and paraphernalia or a bunch of used syringes in a trash bag at the race finish.mrvco21-07-2026
- True. If you going to test for doping though, between two tough mountain stages is the right time to test beacuse that is when they might need it most.
Andrew21-07-2026 - cycling has been dirty forever, really not sure why no one is giving the testers the benefit of the doubtwhkman21-07-2026
- None of us really know what goes on behind closed doors but it is very suspicious to wake these riders up the day before a big mountain stage while they are still recovering from the mountain stage the day before. I have to go to bed, it's almost 2am lolawp21-07-2026
- And you’re free to believe that as I am free not to believe it regardless of who my neighbours or work colleagues support.Andrew21-07-2026
- And you know that how? Did Pog call you, message you?Andrew21-07-2026
- being reported that as many as 8 teams were tested at late hours and from Benjamin Cohen, head of ITA in April: “I don’t think you would want to do mass testing at the Tour de France, for example, and wake up all the athletes at 3am — that doesn’t make sense. I think you would need to have very concrete suspicions (about an athlete) and use that in a very cautious manner. “I wouldn’t advocate for mass night testing, but certainly for some flexibility if you believe that there is an issue.” so really doesn't seem like he's crazy about testing and thinks they should need evidence for late night testing. and here we are, they went to a judge and got the ok so I think they have credible evidencewhkman21-07-2026
- "a bit much" is an understatement.whkman21-07-2026
- UAE will suffocate Remco in the big mountains !frieders321-07-2026
- the ita obviously only had evidence on the riders that were tested and took it to the judge and the judge ok'd the 2am and 5am tests. maybe seixas is doped up who knows? but they didn't have any evidence on him to bring to a judge. anyone who thinks the French are biased has forgotten Festina.whkman21-07-2026
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