Florian Lipowitz has rounded off his strong spring block with second place in the general classification at the Tour de Romandie, securing another top result.
Already on the second day, Florian Lipowitz moved up to second place overall, a position he held all the way to the finale and underlined impressively on yesterday’s queen stage. There, he was beaten only by the dominant Tadej Pogačar, who won the race in commanding fashion.
Today’s final stage brought the expected grande finale: the race’s only summit finish, a 14-kilometre final climb to Leysin, decided the outcome. Florian Lipowitz put everything on the line. Three kilometres from the summit, he attacked several times from the group of favourites. Only Tadej Pogačar was able to follow, leaving the two strongest riders of the race to contest the finale once again. On the steep final metres, Lipowitz went again, but Pogačar countered and came past him. It was another second place for Florian Lipowitz in Leysin. Primož Roglič finished third, completing a high-class finale.
“I felt really good throughout the stage. When we hit the final five kilometres, I thought I should make a small move to see what the other guys would do. I took a chance, and I ended up together with Tadej. On the finish line, I tried to go all-out from the start of the last kicker, like I did two years ago. In the end, I can be really happy and proud of how this week went. The team gave me huge support, and I think we raced really well. I was really happy to be there with Tadej and to have the chance to compete against him. Congrats to him for another win. I’m still super proud of how we raced today.”
— Florian Lipowitz
Consistency as the key to success
Two years ago, Florian Lipowitz first came into focus at today’s finishing location of the Tour de Romandie. Back then, he stepped onto a WorldTour podium for the first time. Since then, he has contested six more one-week WorldTour races. He finished five of those stage races on the podium. In the only exception, just eight seconds separated him from the top three. It is a record that makes him one of the most consistent riders on this terrain.
Strong sixth place for Luke Tuckwell
Alongside Lipowitz’s podium finish, Luke Tuckwell also made a statement. The 21-year-old neo-pro finished the race sixth overall, confirming his considerable talent. After intense appearances at the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour of the Basque Country, Tuckwell continued his strong development. Just under a year ago, he finished second at the Giro Next Gen. In Romandie, he has now shown his potential in the general classification of a WorldTour stage race. Developing young talents from the Rookies through to the top of the WorldTour is a central part of the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe structure.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe once again the strongest team
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe also set the standard as a team. After winning the team classification at Tirreno–Adriatico and the Volta a Catalunya, the team secured this distinction for the first time at the Tour de Romandie as well. From the first stage, the team led the team classification and was consistently present in the race action. On each of the five stages, a rider from the team finished in the top three. This consistency underlines the unity and strength of the entire squad.
(source: press office, photo: Getty Images)
