PRESS CONFERENCE: “In the end the race will tell” - Florian Lipowitz leaves Evenepoel question open in Red Bull’s Tour de France leadership puzzle
Cycling
Florian Lipowitz arrives at the 2026 Tour de France as more than the quiet half of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s leadership structure. Remco Evenepoel may be the superstar name in the line-up, but Lipowitz is the rider who already owns the team’s most recent Tour podium.
That makes Red Bull’s co-leader plan one of the more intriguing GC stories heading into Barcelona. Evenepoel brings Olympic gold, world titles and time trial firepower. Lipowitz brings third overall from last year’s Tour, the white jersey, and a fresh reminder of his form after winning the Tour of Slovenia in the build-up.
CyclingUpToDate were present at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s pre-Tour press conference to document every word. While Evenepoel spoke about wanting Red Bull to win the opening team time trial and fight for the podium with either himself or Lipowitz, the German avoided turning the question of leadership into a public hierarchy.
His answer was much more understated. Asked what might be possible against Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Paul Seixas, Lipowitz acknowledged the level of the main favourites but pointed instead to Red Bull’s preparation. For a rider who already proved his Tour credentials last summer, the message was simple enough: “In the end the race will tell.”
Full Florian Lipowitz press conference Q&A
Question: How are you managing this kind of dual leadership, both tactically and personally?
Florian Lipowitz: I think we saw that we work really well together, so there is not much to add. I think we will also show in the Tour now that we can work together and we will support each other.
Question: What is possible against Vingegaard, Pogacar and Seixas?
Florian Lipowitz: I think those three showed this year already that they are super strong. But I think we as a team will also show now in the Tour that we prepared well. I think the race will tell.
But we have to see. As I said, they showed that they are on a really good level. I hope we will also show good legs.
Lipowitz arrives after a GC win in Slovenia
Question: What can you say about your shape? And what do you think about your victory in Slovenia? What impact does that have mentally for you?
Florian Lipowitz: It was nice to win after more than two years. For me, it was quite nice to win a race again. But of course, it was not a race against the big guys. So it is hard to say something now about the level.
But I think I am quite happy with how the last weeks went, and also the races I did so far this season. I think I can be happy with the results. But also the Tour is always a special race, and I think it is hard to tell now how it will be.
Question: It is forecast to get really, really hot next week, around 44 degrees. Can you talk about the impact of that kind of heat on bike racing? You do a lot of heat training, but that is hot.
Florian Lipowitz: I think the whole team was in Sierra Nevada for altitude camp, so there it was already super hot. Also now, I think in the whole of Europe, we have had super high temperatures. So I think everyone will be prepared for the heat.
But of course it is a big impact on the body. I do not know what to say about the future, but I think we have a cooling strategy with ice and water, and I think we are prepared.
So far, I never did heat training with a suit or something. I am quite okay with just training in hot temperatures.
Question: What is your personal goal for this Tour de France?
Florian Lipowitz: There is not much more to add to what Remco said.
I think if we do our best every day, we should be happy with the outcome. We have to see after three weeks where we are. If we did not make any mistakes, we have to be happy with any result.
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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