“Nothing to do with who’ll be stronger in the mountains” – Jan Ullrich refuses to rule Lipowitz out of Red Bull leadership debate as Evenepoel gains on Tour opener
Cycling
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s co-leadership question was tested within 22 minutes of the 2026 Tour de France beginning. Remco Evenepoel finished Stage 1 ahead of Florian Lipowitz, but Jan Ullrich is not treating Barcelona as an early verdict on the team’s hierarchy.
Lipowitz, third at the 2025 Tour de France, lost contact with Evenepoel late in Saturday’s opening team time trial and now starts the road stages 35 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard. Evenepoel is fifth overall, 19 seconds off yellow, after driving towards the line on the Montjuic finale.
Speaking on Eurosport’s Velo Club, Ullrich admitted he had expected the Red Bull pair to finish together.
“I had seen them further up and thought Evenepoel and Lipowitz would finish together,” the former Tour de France winner began his post-stage analysis. “That is what I expected.”
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Ullrich keeps Lipowitz in the leadership picture
The immediate numbers favour Evenepoel. He begins Stage 2 16 seconds ahead of Lipowitz, seven seconds behind Tadej Pogacar and still within 20 seconds of Vingegaard’s yellow jersey.
Ullrich, however, did not take the short, violent team time trial finale as a guide to how Red Bull’s two protected riders will compare once the race reaches the high mountains. Lipowitz’s loss to Evenepoel, Ullrich argued, has “nothing to do with who will later be stronger in the mountains.”
After the stage, Evenepoel was also asked whether he had become the team’s number one leader. He avoided that framing, focusing instead on the role he had to play once Red Bull reached the climbs.
“Whether I am now leader number one? I’m not concerned with that,” Evenepoel said after Stage 1. “I knew I had to carry the weight on the climbs and ride as fast as possible to the finish. I just did my thing.”
Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz at the 2026 Tour de France team presentation
Red Bull avoid first-stage hierarchy verdict
Evenepoel’s ride still created the first visible split between the two protected riders. He took responsibility in the finale, while Lipowitz had to manage his own pace once the speed became too much.
Rolf Aldag, also speaking on Velo Club, felt that was the correct response from Lipowitz rather than a sign of deeper trouble. “He does not have to stay with Evenepoel, because if there is a real explosion, then he just stops completely,” Aldag said. “Then, as bitter as it is, he has to ride at his own pace and get to the finish line as quickly as possible, not stay with Remco.”
Red Bull sports director Klaas Lodewyck said after the stage that the team had expected Lipowitz to lose contact with Evenepoel at some point, and insisted the final hierarchy would not be settled in Barcelona. “Whether this immediately clarifies the hierarchy between our leaders? I don’t think so, the final account will only be made in Paris,” Lodewyck said.
Evenepoel begins the road stages better placed, and Red Bull’s opening day gives him the clearer GC position. Lipowitz remains inside the early top 10, 35 seconds off yellow and 16 behind his teammate. Stage 1 gave the first advantage to Evenepoel, but not yet the final answer to Red Bull’s leadership question.
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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