Radsport-Florian Lipowitz refines the Germany tour

How the pictures are similar. Gathered crowds in Komenda a week ago, the home town of Tadej Pogačar, to celebrate her darling, this scenario repeated itself in Laichingen in Swabia a few days ago. Inhabitants and a lot of cycling fans who had traveled were close to the market square in front of the grandstand, where Florian Lipowitz joined the Golden Book of his hometown.

After his third place at the Tour de France, the former biathlete is now a star in Germany. “Of course it is nice to be received in the hometown. I am pleased that the city was doing something and I could come here, «said the 24-year-old. And because his employer Red Bull is not entirely inexperienced in marketing things, these scenes will repeat themselves in the near future. And so Lipowitz was appointed to the six-member line-up for the Germany tour at short notice, which begins with a prologue in Essen this Wednesday.

This is why his start is particularly surprising from a sporting point of view. Because the big mountains on which Lipowitz shone in France are missing on this tour. The most demanding ramp is probably the 2.6 -kilometer Battenberg with a seven percent slope on the third and penultimate stage between Arnsberg and Kassel. But it is also just under 100 kilometers before the finish line in the documenta city and therefore does not offer itself to a decisive start in the fight for a stage success or the overall victory.

Lipowitz drives for the team

The regeneration qualities of Lipowitz are also not particularly challenged for a total of 741 kilometers in five days. He himself announced that he was primarily involved in the service of his teammates, who have more qualities in mass sprints and on hill stages. “The profile is more of our sprint and classic specialists,” he is quoted in a message from his team and explicitly calls the Belgian Sprint duo Jordi Meeus and Danny van Poppel as well as the classic man Laurence Pithie from New Zealand. Lipowitz himself, on the other hand, wants to “give the boys a little back now and help them to do success”. All three mentioned were helpers on the tour.

The fact that Lipowitz will now be committed to the Germany tour as much as his helper trio on the tour of the France is deemed to have been made. He also grants others the place in the sun. And for a tour captain, it is always good to have helpers who are motivated to the attack because they know: their captain also spends full for them, in races in which they have opportunities.

The favorites are other drivers

Lipowitz should therefore continue to gain sympathy points on the five -day tour, even if there are no victories on the route for him. The biggest favorite is the Belgian Wout van Aert. The hilly course between Arnsberg and Kassel is tailored to the winner of the final stage of this year’s Tour de France. The Visma captain also has enough support. In addition to veteran Steven Kruijswijk from the Netherlands, the British winner of the Tour of Norway, Matt Brennan, and German U23 world champion Niklas Behrens are at his side. The biggest resistance is likely to come alongside the strong Red Bull block from top sprinter Jonathan Milan. The Italian from Lidl-Trek recently won the Tour de France points.

From the German side you should still be Nils Politt, who was the winner of the tour in 2021, Georg Zimmermann, who won the young talent twice and has recovered again after his fall on the tour, observe the time trial champion Max Schachmann and the two hill-resistant Sprinter Phil Bauhaus and Pascal Ackermann. In general, the German contingent with 31 starters is quite large. In addition to Behrens, young talents are the 20-year-old Emil Herzog of Red Bull and the 23-year-old Hannes Wilksch native. The largest spectator magnet will certainly be Lipowitz.