Florian Lipowitz joins Pogacar and Vingegaard on final Dauphiné podium: "That means something"

In the third stage, won by Ivan Romeo (Movistar) after a short solo in the final, Lipowitz joined the early breakaway. That breakaway ultimately made it to the finish, with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also represented in the group. This move saw Lipowitz climb in the GC, giving him a comfortable margin over his rivals for the classification.

The day after his breakaway, the 24-year-old rider also finished fifth in the time trial won by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), just eight seconds behind Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG). Lipotwitz moved up to second place in the GC, this time behind Evenepoel.

And it was precisely with that rider that Lipowitz fought for the podium in the following days. While Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) proved to be the better riders in the GC, Lipowitz was often the ‘best of the rest.’ After the eight stages in the Dauphiné, the German rider in German service would be just under two minutes ahead of Evenepoel in the GC.

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Earlier this year, Lipowitz also made it to the podium. In Paris-Nice, he finished second behind Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike). "I knew I was coming in with good form, but I didn’t expect to finish on the podium,’ said Lipowitz in a press release from his team. ‘Standing next to riders like Tadej and Jonas really means something. The team supported me all week, and I’m happy I could turn that into a result."

The team management at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has also taken note of the results. "The Dauphiné was a clear goal in Florian’s season plan," said Rolf Aldag, Chief of Sports at the formation. "We were aiming for a top-five finish, so a podium is all the more satisfying. Most importantly, he continues to develop with consistency, focus, and patience. This week was another step in the right direction," concluded Aldag.