Florian Lipowitz feels sorry for Remco Evenepoel after Catalonia effort, but Belgian has no regrets
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleThe sixth stage of the Tour of Catalonia on Saturday was won by Jonas Vingegaard, despite a huge amount of work from Remco Evenepoel on the road for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Team-mate Florian Lipowitz therefore admitted afterwards that he felt a little sorry he could not finish the move off in Queralt.
ADVERTISEMENT
Evenepoel, who was also still well placed in the general classification himself, took control on the penultimate climb and split the group. On the descent and in the valley before the final climb, he helped build the advantage for Lipowitz, who then had no answer when Vingegaard made his acceleration.
“Remco did an amazing job for me,” Lipowitz said to CyclingProNet. The German explained that the pair went into the final descent at full speed, saw there was a significant gap, and then relied on Evenepoel’s work on the front. Lipowitz tried to respond to Vingegaard on the final climb, but in the end had to admit the Dane was simply stronger. He also made clear that was what frustrated him most: in his view, Evenepoel had probably had the legs to win the stage himself.
Continue reading below the video.
Evenepoel made the call on instinct
Evenepoel joined Sporza after the stage, said the move had not been planned exactly like that from the start. “It was a bit of a decision in the moment, because the plan was to try something on the penultimate climb. Halfway up, I felt that my legs weren’t super. Good enough to ride hard, but I didn’t feel I could go over my limit. I also didn’t want to take any risks.”
The Belgian added that the aftermath of his earlier crash had played a role in that thinking. “After that crash, I had a few difficult days. The impact was a bit bigger than expected.” Evenepoel also said he knew the descent was technical and that it could create an opportunity. On the final climb, he simply rode a hard tempo and limited the damage.
Evenepoel did not feel he had made the wrong choice, even if he could have gone for the stage himself. In his view, the race would then have unfolded differently anyway. With the tactic Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe chose, he felt he had done good business for Lipowitz and for himself, because he still took time on the riders behind him. Looking ahead to Sunday, he was also clear: the stage into Barcelona should suit him, and with the general classification more or less settled, there should be room to try something.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Tom Pidcock ends 2026 fifth in the world, with Ciccone and Hayter arriving at Pinarello for 2027
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado's injury isn't as bad as feared, but she may not line up for a while
TotalEnergies rescued from collapse, but rider recruitment remains a problem before 27th Tour de France appearance
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Schreiber slams disrespectful European cyclocross championship judges: 'They didn’t even let me finish speaking'
Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026