Tour de France breakout star Florian Lipowitz prematurely ends 2025 season - "Honestly, it’s a relief"

At 25 years of age Florian Lipowitz has completed an almost unprecedented ascent to the top of the cycling world. In the space of one year and three months, he went from a relatively unknown name in the sport to a Tour de France podium finisher. Now, after a breakthrough 2025 where he broke through every expectation, he has called an end to the season as he was unable to return to good form.

“Honestly, it’s a relief. Right after the races in Canada, we decided to bring the off-season forward by three weeks. Now I can finally take care of all the things that never fit in during the year," Lipowitz said in a press release issued by the team.

In April 2024 Lipowitz, a former biathlete, broke onto the World Tour scene with a podium at the Tour de Romandie. He won the Sibiu Cycling Tour and then went on to finish seventh at the first Grand Tour he finished: the Vuelta a España. He established himself as a strong name for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, however few would've expected for his evolution to be as sharp as in 2024 this year. He was second at Paris-Nice, fourth at Itzulia Basque Country and then joined Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the podium of the Criterium du Dauphiné.

This already boosted his role in the team significantly, and he entered the Tour de France as a co-leader alongside Primoz Roglic, although it was widely assumed that he stood better chances of succeeding in the overall classification. He proved that with a third place and youth classification victory in a Tour that was considered brutal by all accounts, with barely a day of calm riding throughout three weeks.

Lipowitz has completed an incredible rise to the top of the cycling world, and upon his return to racing, he wasn't able to show the same legs - although it was not necessary. Now, he has ended his season. "And it feels great to clear my head completely. During the season, everything is scheduled – racing, training, recovery. There’s hardly any space to switch off. Now I have time to ride without purpose, or not ride at all. This kind of mental recovery is just as important as the physical rest.”

“Many moments that were both rewarding and unfamiliar. It was only a few weeks ago that I really processed what had happened this year. The results give me confidence that none of it was coincidence – that the hard training and all those weeks away from home truly paid off," he developed. "At the same time, the sudden attention was something new for me. Learning to handle that while staying grounded is part of the process."

The German is entering a new phase of his career, and with Remco Evenepoel joining the team in 2026, pressure grows for him and the team as a whole to perform throughout the year - and potentially win a Grand Tour, having also the likes of Primoz Roglic, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari in its ranks.

But taking time off from the incredibly intense pro rider lifestyle is also important to be consistently strong when it matters the most. “To everyday life. To family, friends, and having time without thinking about watts, food scales, or stage profiles. I’m looking forward to being at home, maybe taking a spontaneous trip somewhere, without checking a training plan first. It sounds simple, but that kind of freedom is a real luxury during the season. And at the same time, I can already feel the anticipation for next year building – but this time with completely fresh energy.”