"That is why it is good" - Lipowitz stresses key reason he believes Evenepoel Tour de France dual leadership will succeed

Florian Lipowitz was on the podium of last year's Tour de France and wants to do one or two better this time around. But with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard a step above, the Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe rider comes into the race as dual leader with Remco Evenepoel and looking over his shoulder at the rise of Paul Seixas.

On paper, it seems the German star returns to the race on the back foot, however, Lipowitz makes it clear that it's not the case. In fact, he believes that sharing the duties with Evenepoel and Seixas being competitive with the others opens the door to opportunities without one key element - pressure.

Pressure is something the 25-year-old has become accustomed to, and now believes he deals with better than before. Finishing third overall after last year's Tour, Lipowitz admitted to finding things 'difficult' but has slowly got back to his feet and delivered consistent results this spring.

He rode three key WorldTour stage races from March in Volta a Catalunya, Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Romandie, finishing in the podium in all three - with the winners of those race being Vingegaard, Seixas and Pogacar respectively. Of any of the Tour de France contenders, Lipowitz has certainly got a close-up look at GC hierarcy this spring.

“That was a great experience and gave me a lot of confidence, but I expect a different Pogačar in the Tour. Jonas [Vingegaard, ed.] and Pogačar are two steps ahead of the rest, but a lot can happen.

"I do expect Paul Seixas to make things difficult for them. He will be a serious opponent for both," Lipowitz said in an interview with Eurosport Germany.

Remco Evenepoel talk is likely to dominate Lipowitz' build-up to the Barcelona Grand Depart, now one month away. But pressure is the buzzword for Lipowitz, who believes the duo can share the burden and how he can learn from the Belgian superstar.

He said: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. That is why it is good that we are going to the Tour with shared leadership.”

“We can share the pressure and we both benefit from that. I think I have learned a lot over the past few years, which means I can handle pressure better. It is difficult to beat riders like Vingegaard, Pogačar or Seixas with my sprinting power. I hope I can also learn a lot from Remco.”