Well if the whole leadership debate at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe wasn’t already settled with Remco Evenepoel’s two wins in a row, the latest news about Florian Lipowitz certainly makes it final.

The German’s Tour de France came to a heartbreaking end on Tuesday after the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider crashed heavily during the Stage 16 individual time trial. The German was on a strong ride and sitting near the top of the intermediate standings when he lost control through a right-hand corner after a descent. He slammed into the curb and barriers before receiving medical attention.

Evenepoel on Lipowitz now, versus then

Lipowitz was taken away by ambulance and later diagnosed with a fractured right collarbone. “It’s a real shame… I wish him the best,” stage winner Remco Evenepoel said afterwards, adding that he would miss Lipowitz in the final week, according to WielerFlits.

Earlier in the Tour, Remco Evenepoel’s frustrations with Lipowitz spilled into the open.

“I had asked for a lead-out and I didn’t get one,” Evenepoel told Sporza after Stage 6. “Yes, I was angry, and rightly so.”

He also pointed to what he felt was a lack of support compared with the effort he had given his teammates earlier in the season.

“At the Tour of Catalonia, I rode at the front for him for 30 kilometres. I asked to do a kilometre of work at the front, and that wasn’t possible,” Evenepoel continued. “That made me angry, and that will have to be discussed thoroughly tonight.”

Even before the Tour began, there was talks about who was the true leader of the team–with the Double Olympic champion taking, well, attempting his best version at a diplomatic answer: “I want to win a stage, we want to win the team time trial and take the yellow jersey with the team,” he said. “Of course we both want to stand on the podium, but whether it’s him or me… if it happens in a good way without negative energy, that’s good for both of us and for the team.”

What’s next at the 2026 Tour de France

Anyway, the Tour moves on now, without Jonas Vingegaard, and Lipowitz. Stage 17 goes from Chambéry to Voiron for a total of 174.7km. There’s one early categorized climb, but the rest is just a little lumpy. Probably a day for the break.