Tourist
Florian Lipowitz also shows a strong performance on the second day in the Pyrenees and approaches third in the overall ranking to six seconds. He then brakes the expectations.
The Tour de France is like a good film: the pictures Brilliant, the race and the landscape through which it leads moved into the very best light. And as with the film, of course, there is also the area behind the scenes, which is far less spectacular. You can meet the main actors there.
Just like after the mountain time trial of the 13th stage up to the airfield of Peyragudes-a place that has already made it into a James Bond film. Florian Lipowitz sat behind the scenes up there, squeezed between the ditch and a saddle tractor, on the roll and gave interviews after a formidable performance.
Sportschau Tourfunk, July 18, 2025 7:43 p.m.
“A really hard agony”
Fourth, he had ended the 10.5 kilometers of time – with a 300 meter long and 16 percent steep ramp at the end – and was rightly satisfied, even if the last two kilometers “A really hard agony” have been: “The legs were full of lactate and the last 300 meters felt like an eternity.”
His gap to the almost competitive stage winner Tadej Pogacar had been 1,56 minutes. He had also lacked Jonas Vingegaard for over a minute. But the two leaders in the overall ranking are not the yardstick for Lipowitz anyway. “If you are honest, Pogacar and Jonas are out of reach”, he explained. “But in the fight for third place we definitely have good cards.”
Fight for third place becomes the main plot
In fact, after 13 stages, the fight for third place on the podium in Paris seems to develop into the main plot of this tour. The yellow jersey firmly rests on the shoulders of Tadej Pogacar, who has now expanded his lead in the overall classification on Vingegaard to more than four minutes.
Remco Evenepoel is currently in third place in the overall ranking. The time intervals are significantly lower behind it. The Belgian’s lead is only six seconds in fourth place – Lipowitz is listed there. But this is followed by three other drivers, all of whom are away from third place within a minute and a half.
Lipowitz refers to Roglic
This also includes Primoz Roglic, the captain of the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and teammate from Lipowitz. The Slovenian was also allowed to be very satisfied as the day of the day in Peyragudes and reduced its gap to third place in the overall ranking to 1,26 minutes. Based on his experience, Roglic remains the best option of the Equipe for the Podium in Paris. “As you know it, he is in top form in the third week”, said Lipowitz in Peyragudes.
He also brakes the expectations that his previous appearances have awakened. The 24-year-old ex-biathlete, who has only been active as a cyclist for six years, only denies his second Grand Tour and is on the largest stage for the first time that this sport has to offer. “I think you can’t expect too much”, said Lipowitz. “The second week will soon come to an end and race for three weeks is something different. Let’s see what happens in the third week.”
Evenepoel looks resigned
However, it is quite possible that Lipowitz moves in third place in the overall classification after the third and heaviest Pyrenäenen stage. Because Evenepoel, who occupied the third podium of the Tour de France behind Pogacar and Vingegaard last year, is obviously not up to the height of his creativity.
As on the 12th stage, the world champion and Olympic champion in the fight against the clock also came into trouble when driving a mountain. The Vingegaard, who started two minutes after him, had overtaken him on the steeply.
Jonas Vingegaard (left) overtakes Remco Evenepoel in mountain time trial.
Evenepoel later worked accordingly. “It was a really bad performance from me”, He complained and had no explanation for it himself. In between he even thought of giving up. “The only thing I can hope for is that it will be better tomorrow.”
On the 14th stage it goes over the classic Pyrenee passes – the tourmalet, the Col d’Astor and the Pyresourde and then for the first time in 36 years to the Superbagnères ski station. A brutal climbing, at the end of which Florian Lipowitz steps out of the scenes, onto the podium to get the white jersey of the best young professional. That is currently Maillot Blanc still owned by Remco Evenepoel.