The two teammates were committed to the shared leadership plan ahead of the Tour de France. One week later, the vibe shifted.
Cor Vos
Two days before the start of the Tour de France, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe co-leaders Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz downplayed the potential for intra-team drama in a pre-race press conference. They were set to share featured rider status at the Tour. They wanted to put a rider on the podium, but either one might end up there, and they could work together to achieve that goal.
It took a week for the vibe to shift.
On Thursday’s stage 6, a grueling day in the Pyrenees that featured a trip up and over the Col du Tourmalet before a long grind to the finish, both riders finished 2:57 down on stage winner and race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). After crossing the line in fourth behind Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro, Evenepoel openly aired his frustration over Lipowitz not playing a support role in the finale.
“I had asked for a lead-out and I didn’t get one,” an unhappy Evenepoel told reporters after the finish.
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