Tourist
The German hopeful Florian Lipowitz also mastered the difficult sixth stage of the Tour de France. After he initially had doubts, he is increasingly self -awakening.
It is the daily tour routine that Florian Lipowitz has now completed for the sixth time. In Virus Normandythe destination of the sixth stage of the Tour de FranceLipowitz was rolled as 15th. The favorites for overall victory were all in sight. That was the main goal of the day.
Now the 24 -year -old cycling professional was sitting on the role every day after doing work and gave interviews. This is also part of the routine of the day and you have the impression that Lipowitz also does this part of the work more routinely every day. Just like the part on the street.
Positive intermediate conclusion
The Tour de France is the largest stage in cycling and Lipowitz, which makes its debut in France, is primarily there to learn. At least that is what his team Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe will not tire of emphasizing. But the young man from Swabian apparently learns quickly.
After he initially had doubts because he had the feeling of not getting going, he pulled a first positive intermediate balance after six days of tour. “I’m more than satisfied”said Lipowitz. “In the first week it was just safe, don’t fall. And I think we do it quite well as far and mostly kept out of it.”
Survive three hectic days
He and the nominal captain of the German Equipe, Primoz Roglic, still have to succeed three times. The seventh stage on Friday leads up Mûr de Brittany – a final climb that comes back to the punches. Then there are two sprint stages on the menu before the first mountain stage is due on the French national holiday in the central massif.
This is the real terrain on which the former biathlete feels comfortable. But Lipowitz has managed to assert himself on that site in the past few days that the drivers of the classic one -day races are more likely to meet.
Hard day in Normandy
That was impressive on the sixth stage. It had been a challenging day: 201.9 kilometers up and down through Normandy while the sun was burning from the sky. It took around 90 kilometers for the race to have a structure. In the front a top eight group, from which the Irishman Ben Healey finally won as a soloist. Behind it a decimated main field with the Tadej Pogacar in the yellow jersey, in which Lipowitz was also located.
“The first two hours felt just a struggle for the escape group. Then it got a little quieter, but it was never completely clear. It always went up and down and that was not quite as easy at the back”, Lipowitz summarized the action and was glad that the peloton around the favorites consisted of fewer drivers. “Then it’s a little more stress -free and just position yourself.”
Self -confident “all out”
Keeping the right position on the hectic stages of the first tour week is one of the most difficult challenges. This also requires experience that the young German still has to win. But after his surprising third place overall on the Dauphiné tour in early June, in which he only had to let the repeated tours winners Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard go out to the tour very confidently on the tour.
Florian Lipowitz takes autographs after the sixth stage
In the final of the seventh stage in Vire Normandy, he led the main field into the 700 meter long up to 14 percent steep final ramp. “It was just clear to just drive all-out in the last mountain and try to stay tuned. That was the task today”said Lipowitz.
He fulfilled this task even better than his captain. While Lipowitz sprinted to the finish line with the top favorites Pogacar and Vingegaard, Roglic lost a few more seconds, which is why the Slovenian is no longer in the overall classification, but is ranked behind his German colleague.
Lipowitz keeps ninth place in the overall ranking, to which he had advanced the day before with a strong time trial. His performance in the fight against the clock has also attracted attention in Germany and moves the new German tour hopes a little more into the spotlight, from which his team would like to keep it a bit away. But that becomes more difficult every day.