Lipowitz shows explosive form with Slovenia mountain sage win and overall victory

Florian Lipowitz won the fifth and final stage of the Tour of Slovenia. The German entered the stage as leader in the general classification, but he also showed who was in charge in the final stage. In a stage featuring short, steep climbs, he was in a class of his own and secured the overall victory with a spectacular solo breakaway.

How well did Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe perform in Slovenia? The German team won three of the four stages, with Laurence Pithie coming out on top in the sprints. In the queen stage, Florian Lipowitz and Giulio Pellizzari proved to be by far the strongest: the pair crossed the finish line together, and it was the German who was awarded the victory—and with it, the lead in the general classification.

There was still a tough climb to Novo Mesto ahead. The final stretch had quite a few tricky sections where a lot could still happen. But would Lipowitz be in danger... That was doubtful, because his lead over his closest competitors—aside from his teammate Pellizzari—was enormous.

Right from the start in Litija, the course began climbing, and three riders broke away. Louis Sutton (Euskaltel - Euskadi) was joined by Veljko Stojnic (United Shipping) and Fausto Masnada (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort). Of the three, the Italian proved to be the strongest as the road climbed: he went solo in the final forty kilometers.

But behind them, it wasn’t Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe but Bahrain Victorious that picked up the pace. The team had Jakob Omrzel, who was third in the general classification and also the top Slovenian rider. He was far behind, but did he have some devious plans? The opposite turned out to be true: the first surge came from race leader Lipowitz himself. He pushed on during the descent.

However, he couldn’t break away. Red Bull then took the lead, but Masnada was still riding at the front. He was caught with 25 kilometers to go, after which the final lap began. A very tough little climb was still waiting there. And once again, it was Lipowitz who pushed hard. He was the first to reach the summit, but could he hold onto his lead in the final stretch?

The chasing group included Pellizzari, which made everything a bit more difficult. The German quickly built up a solid lead, but Caja Rural - Seguros RGA had two riders in the second group, which offered some hope. Samuel Fernandez managed to attack and tried to catch up to Lipowitz, but he was too late. The German claimed his second stage victory with a 30-second lead, and with it, the overall victory.