Radsport – Tour de France: Red Bull further upgrades for the victory

A tour begins in Prague on Wednesday, where Germany’s new bike star Florian Lipowitz celebrated its first professional victory. His Red Bull team really wants to win the Tour de France in the future, but you don’t know exactly with the German team, with which racing drivers: In the coming year, the tour third Lipowitz, together with the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, will take great victories. The tour dominator Tadej Pogacar, on the other hand, reflects on its end of his career.

Yellow

In July 2023, the best cycling professionals recovered from the hardships of the Tour de France, the then 22-year-old Lipowitz opened the Czech Tour. In the Beskiden, the eight -kilometer climb attracted Pustevny or the even steeper ramp to Šternberk, which has become known primarily through motorsport race. The Laichinger was just in his first year of professional, but had a brilliant test attempt at the Tour of the Alps in the spring. In the Czech Republic he finally became a winner. In the meantime, he lost the connection on the rain stage to Pustevny. On the climb, however, he was the strongest and won the stage and the yellow jersey. And Florian Lipowitz found the textile so much that he no longer gave it the next few days and drove home for the first time as an overall winner of a tour.

“A dream came true,” said Lipowitz at the time. Almost word -like he described his third place in the Tour de France in July. He had referred to his success in the Czech Republic as “life changing life”-which was true at the latest at this year’s tour of France.

Key figure in the changing business

The Czech Tour goes up to Pustevny this year too. The WorldTour teams Visma from Jonas Vingegaard and Soudal Quick Step from double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel are at the start. The stars themselves do not do their attention, younger drivers get a chance. With his U23 department, Red Bull, the sporting director of which is the former Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout. He led Evenepoel to his Olympic successes and was considered a key personnel in the latest change transaction. The coach is already there, he should “get to know team culture and team structure from scratch,” as the Red Bull said.

The 25-year-old Evenepoel comes to the German racing team at the turn of the year. According to information from the “Gazzetta Dello Sport”, he receives a three -year day with a total volume of 20 million euros. In doing so, he moves behind the Slovenian Pogačar, which is supposed to move into an annual basic salary of eight million euros, but still before the Danes Vingegaard, which is to get around five million a year.

New helper

Evenepoel also wants to move in these regions in terms of sport and nothing less than the Tour de France. The requirements are good. In his old team he was often in the mountains without a helper, at Red Bull it can be assumed that drivers such as Lipowitz, ex-giro winner Jai Hindley or the young Italian Giulio Pellizzari can still be at the front at the last summit.

With Lipowitz, the German racing team now has a luxury problem. This season, the Swabian looked stronger this season at the direct meetings with evens in the mountains, but the Belgian is a power in time trial. Whether this constellation develops into a problem is due to the tactical requirements. Because of their complementary predisposition, both could form a perfect double tip at the Grand Tours. And at least Lipowitz is one who can also treat other successes. Evenepoel is characterized by all personal ambition than someone who can recognize a stronger one.

Belgian entourage

Another challenge to integrate the Belgian’s entourage into the team so that there are not two camps – Team Remco and the rest of Red Bull. Because in addition to coach Vanthourenhout, further familiar even -Evenepoels should switch to team: racing driver Mattia Cattaneo as a kind of bodyguard on the bike, a masseur, a mechanic and another sporty director of Soudal Quick Step.

Regardless of these shifts of the balance of power, Pogačar expressed first thoughts about the end of a career. “I have been counting the years that I still have to pension,” said the 26-year-old on Slovenian television: “I won’t stop immediately,” he reassured his fans, “but I will not continue much longer. The Olymic Games 2028 in Los Angeles are one of my goals. Then I’ll think about quitting. “

Even Evenepoel and Lipowitz have to hurry if they conquer Pogačar on the tour and not want to go into history that only came into play after the dominator has been departed.