Cattaneo on Tour de France co-leaders Evenepoel and Lipwitz: 'When one of them has to make way for the other

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is heading toward the moment of truth. The German team will start the Tour de France with their dream co-captain duo: Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel are set to battle for the general classification. Will it work? Lead-out man Mattia Cattaneo explains why it will.

Evenepoel joined the team from Soudal Quick-Step this winter, and naturally had some conditions for the transfer. He brought part of his entourage with him to the German team, including team director Klaas Lodewyck, as well as Cattaneo. While with the Belgian team, the Italian had become one of the world time trial champion’s most important pillars of support.

He also ran into Lipowitz at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The German is a completely different person from Evenepoel. “Lipowitz is a unique person, one of the best in the world at stage races, but he takes everything in stride,” Cattaneo explains to Bici.Pro. “In other words, he doesn’t care about the media attention surrounding what’s happening around him. If he can avoid an interview, he will. Basically the opposite of Remco.”

However, that doesn’t mean last year’s third-place finisher in the Tour isn’t confident. “Lipowitz lives in his own world and doesn’t seem to let anything get to him. Even in Slovenia, he showed tremendous composure and took each day in stride. So if you ask me whether I feel pressure or if you can tell that he’s particularly focused on the Tour, I’ll tell you that he didn’t seem tense or under pressure. From the outside, he exudes tremendous calm.”

But aside from the obvious differences between Lipowitz and Evenepoel, there are also similarities. They’re both, of course, outstanding cyclists, and they’ve both stood on the Tour podium. And, as Cattaneo points out, both team leaders are endlessly ambitious. They’re true winners, and that can sometimes cause friction when you put those kinds of personalities together on the same team.

"As a winner, it's not easy to accept that someone else will win or take your place," says the experienced Italian. "But they’re smart and know that the common goal is to get as far as possible. Then there comes a moment when one of them has to make way for the other. And I’m convinced they’ll do that. However, if their skill levels are very similar, they’ll work together."

While Lipowitz was still racing in the Tour of Slovenia ahead of the Tour de France (he won two stages and the overall classification), Evenepoel did the opposite. After Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Belgian decided to skip all races for two months. Can he make a big impact in July with fresh but race-free legs?

Cattaneo thinks so. He has confidence in his team leader. “As far as I know, Remco has made the best choice for the Tour. The team and I have thoroughly analyzed this approach. He is convinced that racing fewer races will allow him to better prepare for the most important events.”

What’s more, the Italian understands the mental game—and how Evenepoel handles it. “He performs best when he lines up at the start hungry and motivated. He’ll definitely be super motivated and very determined. And above all, ready to crush everything… as he always says.”