"It will be the first time I go to a Grand Tour with double leadership" - Remco Evenepoel poised for Tour de France partnership with Florian Lipowitz

Remco Evenepoel wasn't involved in Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's stunt to lift up a glide plain in Mallorca, but he is ready to set off towards the 2026 season. The Olympic Champion was the headliner of the team's press conference this Wednesday, and has discussed plenty topics ranging from the Tour de France route to the partnership with Florian Lipowitza.

“It will be the first time I go to a Grand Tour with double leadership, and it’s the best way for us to do well,” Evenepoel said to several news outlets, including CyclingWeekly. However the Tour is not one that he is particularly happy with: “Personally I’m a bit disappointed with the TT we get, because we have so many meters of climbing in the last week and we don’t have a real TT. That’s the only negative point".

A rider of such quality can race for a strong almost anywhere, but that also meant difficult decisions were required. In this case, he is skipping Milano-Sanremo and also the Giro d'Italia. Instead, he will have a spring based on stage-races, before making his debut at the Tour of Flanders. He will then race the Ardennes classics.

He justifies this decision after a 2025 that proved to be very complex, starting off with a lengthy recovery from a set of bad injuries he suffered in December. “I had a very difficult season last year and so we want a good season, an easy-going one, not so many crazy things".

At the Tour, he teams up with Florian Lipowitz to fight for the yellow jersey. “I only knew yesterday that I was going to be riding the Tour, so it’s still early to speak about racing it together as there’s a lot of time to go. We will do some races together and training camps because it’s pretty new and we will learn about each other more and more, and learn how to race together.

The two will race together at the Challenge Mallorca where they will take part in the newly-created team time trial one-day race, and also the Volta a Catalunya - besides possibly the Criterium du Dauphiné. “We are both different types of riders in terms of tactics and decisions in the race, and we can only try and go for it and see how it goes".

Lipowitz this season rode to a brilliant third place at the Criterium du Dauphiné and then backed that up with a performance of a lifetime at the Tour de France where he once again joined Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the podium. BORA is now a 'super team', and he doesn't see teaming up with such a strong rider as a negative.

“It’s a bit early to make a final decision or comment about going together. But in many Grand Tours it’s always better to go there with a few leaders," he argues. "The team decides who goes to the Tour and we adapt to each other and the tactics. It’s not the end of the world to go together".

The German team is stacked with talent from climbers to rouleurs and experienced domestiques, which all-in-all can make for a great Grand Tour team. The presence of two big men now can pile on the pressure on Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates - XRG, who in the last few years only had Visma as a true rival.

“There are multiple tactics that we can use… and I think two completely different styles when they come together can be a very good combination. We will also try it in other races. Everybody knows that Tadej has been really outstanding the last few years, so for us it’s a goal as a team and individually as well to come as close as possible and to hopefully one day win it".

The reigning Olympic, World and European time trial champion also naturally has his sights on Montreal, where he can add to his list of titles, and where he should be the man to beat if he finds his best form as has been the case over the past few years.

“For sure in the TT I will always be there, and the road race it’s a very nice opportunity. It’s another big goal for me and I will try to be there at more than 100% to try and go for a double. That would be very nice for myself and also for my team.”