“If Florian Lipowitz improves by just 2%, he’s on equal terms with Tadej Pogacar” – Jens Voigt says Remco Evenepoel should ride as domestique at Tour de France

The internal balance of power at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is coming into sharper focus ahead of the Tour de France, and if Jens Voigt is right, it may not favour Remco Evenepoel.

Speaking as part of his analysis for Eurosport, the former German professional pointed firmly towards Florian Lipowitz as the rider best placed to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar over three weeks. “Last year, Florian was one of the few riders who tried to respond to Tadej Pogacar,” Voigt explained, pointing to the German’s willingness to follow accelerations that left much of the field behind.

That effort still translated into a significant deficit on paper, with Lipowitz finishing eleven minutes down on Pogacar, but the detail behind those numbers is what shapes Voigt’s view.

“Even so, I believe he’s not that far away. If Pogacar doesn’t improve any further and maybe has an average day, and Florian improves by just two percent, then they’re on equal terms,” he said. “There’s not much missing. We’re talking about minimal differences.”

Those margins matter because they align closely with what has already been seen on the road in 2026. Lipowitz has quietly built one of the most consistent stage race campaigns in the peloton, backing up his 2025 Tour podium with further high level general classification results this season.

At races such as the Volta a Catalunya and Itzulia Basque Country, he has repeatedly matched or outperformed Evenepoel in the mountains, establishing himself as the team’s most reliable climbing option. In a modern Tour de France defined by repeated high mountain efforts, that profile carries more weight than ever.

Evenepoel’s strengths remain clear. He is still the superior time triallist and one of the most explosive riders in the sport, capable of gaining time against the clock and on punchy terrain. But against a rider like Pogacar, who now combines elite climbing with near world class time trialling, that advantage alone may not be decisive.

Voigt’s assessment reflects that balance. The German sees Lipowitz as the rider who can hold position in the mountains, limit losses across three weeks, and stay within striking distance if circumstances fall his way.

That inevitably raises the question of team hierarchy, particularly given that both riders are expected to target the general classification in July. As in 2025, Red Bull are set to approach the Tour with a dual leadership structure on paper. In practice, Voigt expects that to evolve once the race reaches the high mountains.

The Belgian’s time trial advantage remains a key asset, but Voigt believes the dynamic could shift decisively once the road tilts upwards. “He won’t be entirely happy and will grit his teeth a bit. But I think he’s sensible and mature enough to say: ‘Okay, I’m in the second row now and I’m a helper,’” Voigt said.

It is a blunt assessment, but one that mirrors what has already been hinted at earlier this season, where Evenepoel has, at times, found himself riding in support during decisive moments in stage races.

All of this discussion ultimately circles back to Pogacar, who remains the reference point for the entire peloton. His 2026 campaign has again underlined his versatility, from dominating the spring classics to maintaining his position as the most complete Grand Tour rider in the world.

That is what makes Voigt’s “two percent” argument so striking. It does not suggest Pogacar is vulnerable in a traditional sense, but rather that the margins at the very top are finer than the results alone might indicate.

For Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, the challenge is deciding how best to exploit those margins. Lipowitz offers the closest match to the profile that has historically troubled Pogacar over three weeks: a pure climber with the ability to sustain repeated efforts deep into a Grand Tour. Evenepoel offers a different route, one built around time trial gains and aggressive racing.

Voigt’s view is clear on which path gives the team its best chance. Whether that call proves correct will begin to unfold when the Tour de France rolls out in Barcelona on July 4, with Lipowitz aiming not only to confirm his place at the head of the team, but to test just how close that two percent gap really is.