A terrifying ride and a whole lot of bliss: Florian Lipowitz on a euphoric season

Hanover. Just switching off a bit, relaxing. No cycling, not thinking too much about cycling. Doing his taxes. Florian Lipowitz has taken it easy these past few weeks. Coming down after the hype. The 25-year-old, reserved rider from Laichingen sensationally reached the podium at the Tour de France at the end of July, winning the hearts of German sports fans. Third place, plus the white jersey as best young rider – and all this in his debut.

“Over the past few weeks, I've only really been able to grasp it all. We've tidied up a bit at home. And when I held the Tour jerseys in my hands again, I looked at them with incredible pride, reflecting on those three weeks,” Lipowitz enthused at a media event for his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, around 100 days after his coup.

The best part of the Tour was arriving in Paris. "I started the Tour without high expectations. You just enjoy the opening ceremony and the first stages. When I realized I had a chance at the podium, I couldn't enjoy the stages as much anymore; I started to feel the pressure. That pressure then disappears at the finish line in Paris," said Lipowitz.

The former biathlete showed hardly any weaknesses in his first Tour de France. Only on the climb to the Col de la Loze, on stage 18, did he struggle, as he later revealed. Lipowitz dropped back and lost time to his rivals for third place. "I was worried about how much time I was losing. But in the end, all I could do was give it my all. I was so exhausted. There wasn't much time to think anyway. I just wanted to get the day over with as quickly as possible," Lipowitz explained honestly. In the end, his lead was enough. For the first time since Andreas Klöden in 2006, a German rider reached the podium.

Lipowitz celebrated with his team and friends, competed in the Deutschland Tour a few weeks later, and then wound down the season in a more relaxed manner. "Going out with friends, checking bills at home, tidying up" were part of his daily routine, which is otherwise characterized by travel and only brief visits home. Occasional illnesses prevented him from competing in further races. Lipowitz also underwent surgery on his nasal septum. "That had been discussed for some time," he said. The rising star of German cycling had repeatedly struggled with infections. "I hope the surgery will help."

Lipowitz has gotten back on his bike after about six weeks without training and is now looking ahead to the 2026 racing season. He hopes to participate in the Tour de France again. "It's the biggest race. I'd love to ride," says Lipowitz.

The sporting directors are currently working on race planning. It's also possible that Red Bull's new signing and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel will ride the Tour de France, leaving Lipowitz out. However, the Giro d'Italia is not on his race schedule, Lipowitz revealed. This increases his chances of starting the Tour de France – possibly sharing a co-captain role with Evenepoel.

“With the successes Remco has achieved in recent years, he’s one of the best riders in the peloton,” Lipowitz praised his new teammate. He doesn’t believe there will be any power struggles between him and the Belgian. “I think the roles will be clearly discussed before the races, and everyone will know how they’ll approach the race. But a lot can happen over three weeks in a stage race. It’s good to have several options as a team,” he said.

One possibility would be to have Florian Lipowitz start the Tour de France as team captain at the beginning of July. Expectations for the 25-year-old will be high in the future anyway. "I have to find a healthy way to deal with pressure," he said. In 2025, when expectations rose during the Tour, he managed to do so brilliantly despite a collapse on the climb to the Col de la Loze.