Domestique Lipowitz responds in home tour to Remco Evenepoel’s arrival: "You can’t compare me to Remco yet"

This has led to speculation about whether such a stellar team can function optimally. Team boss Ralph Denk does not see any immediate problems, as he previously stated: "Cycling is not like soccer, where you only have one lineup for each game. In the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta, the team is always the same. Once we know next year's routes, we can start putting the puzzle together. In any case, Primoz and Florian are still under contract for next year."

Roglic also spoke to IDLProCycling.com about the arrival of the Belgian: ‘Hopefully we can achieve great things together,’ said the Slovenian at the criterium in Etten-Leur. Lipowitz also spoke out in the Tour of Germany, telling Sportschau that he had not yet spoken to Evenepoel after the news was made public.

The 24-year-old rider also sees no difficulties in future collaboration. “You can't compare me to Remco yet. He is a two-time Olympic champion, has also finished third in the Tour, and won the Vuelta. I think he will fit in well with our team, and then we'll see how things go next year.”

Later in the Tour of Germany, Lipowitz returns to the subject of Evenepoel's arrival at the German team on HLN. "Remco is one of the best riders in the world," he said before the start of the third stage of the Tour of Germany. “So it's a good thing he's coming to us. With Primoz also joining us, we'll have one of the best teams. I'm looking forward to next year.” The two may already meet in the Tour of Lombardy, as both riders have set their sights on the Tour of Lombardy in October.

But first, Lipowitz will race in his own country, in the Lidl Deutschland Tour. There, the young rider is becoming increasingly aware of what he has achieved in the Tour. "A lot has certainly changed since the Tour de France. I still have to grow into it. But it's also nice to see what the Tour has changed in Germany. Maybe more people are getting on their bikes and watching cycling. I need a little more time to process everything. But on vacation, I'm already realizing what happened in the Tour. I needed some distance from cycling, but that didn't work out so well. Now I want to enjoy the Tour of Germany," the German told radsport-news.

Lipowitz is not riding for his own chances. The rider from southern Germany mainly wants to give something back to his teammates, so he will mostly be picking up water bottles from the team car. “They were there for us in the Tour, and if I can do something in return now, I'll be happy,” Lipowitz told ARD.