<\/p>\n
What follows in 2026 is no longer a discovery phase, but a structured build around responsibility.<\/p>\n
A first test of a shared Tour planThursday\u2019s Trofeo Ses Salines<\/a> team time trial offers more than an early-season box tick. The 23.8 km effort serves as an initial rehearsal for the Tour de France<\/a> Grand Depart in Barcelona, where the race will also open with a team time trial. For Red Bull, it is an opportunity to start translating strategy into practice.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team time trial is a major goal for our team with the Tour in mind,\u201d Lipowitz explained. \u201cOf course, expectations are relatively high, but I think we don\u2019t want to take too many risks either. A podium is the minimum the team expects here.\u201d<\/p>\n Those expectations reflect how the internal picture has shifted. Lipowitz is no longer framed as support alone, while Evenepoel arrives as a rider around whom major objectives are openly shaped. Mallorca is not about hierarchy, but about alignment. The emphasis is on how two leaders function together before the pressure truly builds.<\/p>\n Balancing ambition and restraint<\/p>\n Beyond the team time trial, Lipowitz is careful not to overstate his personal goals at this stage. He is expected to start Friday\u2019s Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, but with a different mindset. \u201cFor Friday, I haven\u2019t really set myself too many goals. I\u2019ll take that more as a bit of fun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The serious work, by his own admission, begins later. February\u2019s Volta ao Algarve and March\u2019s Volta a Catalunya are the races where Lipowitz expects to test himself properly and target podium finishes. That measured approach fits neatly with Red Bull\u2019s broader philosophy for 2026, building progressively rather than peaking too early.<\/p>\n Mallorca, then, is not about results alone. It is about setting the tone for a season in which Lipowitz and Evenepoel are expected to carry shared responsibility at the very top of the sport. For now, the message is simple and controlled. The project has started, and Lipowitz feels ready for what comes next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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