Lipowitz and Roglic make big GC gains thanks to teammate Van Dijke: "Really proud I could play a role in that"

Florian Lipowitz and Primoz Roglic made a winning move in the general classification during stage 16 of the Tour de France. On Mont Ventoux, the white jersey holder solidified his podium spot, while Roglic moved into the top five, a fantastic day for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, aided by Mick van Dijke, who proved invaluable to his leaders from the early breakaway.

The Dutchman was beaming at the summit of the Bald Mountain. “It was pretty awesome,” he laughed to NOS. “Finally, a good day today. I had to wait for the guys to set up an attack and help them gain time in the GC.” The plan worked: Oscar Onley, fourth in the GC, lost nearly 40 seconds to his rivals. “They did an amazing job, and I’m proud I could contribute to that.”

It wasn’t exactly expected that Van Dijke would play a key role in such a mountain stage. “We saw that there was a lot of interest in getting into the breakaway. At one point, three guys went, and they just kept going. So I jumped in to help control things, and suddenly we were away with a large group. I tried to save as much energy as possible, because the start was really steep, and I’m bigger and heavier than those guys. That’s the hardest part for me. I barely made it to the flatter section with the headwind. Then the guys came up, and I knew it was game on.”

Ralph Denk couldn't believe his luck either. “I’m very happy with the team’s performance,” the German told Eurosport with a big smile. “We did a fantastic job as a team. Van Dijke was there on the climb, working for Primoz and Florian. In the end, Primoz moved up in the general classification from sixth to fifth place. Florian also gained some time, which solidifies his podium spot. That makes me proud. We can now look forward to the Alps.”

Not only is the podium position more secure for the German team, but their lead in the young rider classification has also grown. “That’s why I’m so happy we gained time. The white jersey is also very important to us. I’m glad we’ve created a bigger gap there as well. Tomorrow will be a slightly easier day, but we must stay focused. After that come the Alps,” Denk added with a telling grin. “I know all those climbs, they’re brutally tough. Anything can happen there, you never know. We have a lot of respect for what’s coming.”