Evenepoel furious with Lipowitz

It was a fiery day at the 2026 Tour de France : not only because of Tadej Pogačar 's blazing displays on the Col du Tourmalet, but also because of the sparks that flew within the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team. Remco Evenepoel was the protagonist of a vitriolic stage finale, visibly furious after crossing the finish line in Gavarnie-Gèdre in fourth place.

The Belgian didn't hide his anger when speaking to Sporza : "I asked for the train and they didn't give it to me." These words weighed heavily, clearly directed at co-captain Florian Lipowitz , who, according to Evenepoel, refused to cooperate at the decisive moment of the race. An act that the Belgian champion experienced as a betrayal, especially in light of what he did in the spring.

"Yes, I was angry, and rightly so. At the Volta a Catalunya, I led for 30 kilometers for him. I asked him to do a kilometer of work in the lead, and it wasn't possible. This made me furious, and we'll have to talk about it in depth tonight." A clear message, without mincing words: internal confrontation is inevitable.

The stage's dynamic had seen Lipowitz crest the Tourmalet slightly ahead of Evenepoel, accompanied by Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro . On the long descent, Evenepoel managed to rejoin the group, giving Red Bull a numerical advantage alongside the Lidl-Trek of Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose . But the cooperation remained a dead letter, and the result was disastrous: the group lost almost three minutes to Pogačar and 19 seconds to Jonas Vingegaard .

"The UAE was racing at a monstrous speed. We were already going strong, but they did something extreme," explained Evenepoel, who also acknowledged having handled the Tourmalet with clarity: "I knew that with my downhill skills, I could catch up with the group ahead." And so it was. But then came the wall of tactical selfishness.

It's not just Lipowitz who's in the crosshairs: Evenepoel also took issue with Lidl-Trek , accusing them of failing to collaborate immediately to try to close the gap on the two escapees. Even the young Seixas, just 19 years old, expressed surprise at the attitude of some riders. "I told them this is the Tour and it wouldn't be the last time," the Belgian commented with a mix of irony and resignation.

Despite the tension, the overall standings are partially smiling on Evenepoel: fourth place, 3'30" behind Pogačar , but just 7 seconds behind Del Toro in third. The podium is still a realistic goal, even though the Belgian knows full well that Vingegaard remains a top-tier rival: "Yes, a lot is still possible, but Jonas is in good shape. We mustn't forget that."

For fantasy cycling fans: the situation at Red Bull is explosive and potentially destabilizing. Evenepoel is clearly the rider in the best form and with the right mentality to fight for the podium, but internal dynamics could affect his performance. Lipowitz , 30 seconds behind his teammate in the standings, could prove to be an unknown quantity, both positively and negatively. Watch out for the upcoming mountain stages: if the two co-captains don't reach an agreement, they risk canceling each other out, opening the door to other podium contenders like Del Toro or Vingegaard . The story has just begun.

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