Team: Evenepoel and Lipowitz as Red Bull joint Tour leaders can work

Red Bull-Bora–Hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk does not see any potential for conflict after naming German cycling star Florian Lipowitz and Belgian Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel as joint team leaders for July’s Tour de France.

“I am convinced that this will work very well,” Denk told a media round on Tuesday ahead of the Tour, which starts on July 4 in Barcelona, adding: “Remco is still the front man and Florian is a bit of the wingman.”

However, Denk said this was more because Evenepoel, as the reigning time trial world champion and double Olympic champion from Paris 2024, was more in the media spotlight.

Both riders are equal as far as the race is concerned.

“In the end, the day will come when one or the other feels better. Then the two of them have to sort it out between themselves on the road,” the team chief added.

The German team signed the Belgian cyclist in the close-season for a multi-million sum.

It remains to be seen how much Evenepoel will help in the mountains if last year’s third-placed rider Lipowitz is stronger.

The season has been “phenomenal” for Lipowitz and the whole team so far, Denk said. At the weekend, the German won the Tour of Slovenia.

Four-times champion Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, who rides for UAE Team Emirates XRG, is the big Tour favourite.

“If everything goes normally from his point of view, it will be damn hard to challenge him at all,” Denk said of Pogačar.