Cycling: “Big moment”: Lipowitz becomes a tour of tour – Pogacar wins

Tadej Pogacar shook his head briefly, then the four -time overall winner of the Tour de France kissed his girlfriend Urska Zigart. The Slovenian exceptional bike professional wanted to refine his successful title defense on the magnificent Champs-élysées with a last coup-but on the final stage Pogacar had to give up in the fight for the prestigious daily victory to the Belgian Wout van Aert.

Pogacar was also happy after fourth place in the rapid finale in the heavy rain of Paris. “I am speechless to win the tour for the fourth time. Six times in a series on the podium. I am super stolz to be able to wear this yellow jersey,” said the 26-year-old tour dominator.

Lipowitz third on a debut tour

The new German cycling star Florian Lipowitz was not impressed by the duel anyway. Winking over the Champs-Élysées and celebrating his sensational third place overall at the Tour France Tour in the White Trikot for the best young professional. Lipowitz flanked up the Montmartre district by tens of thousands of party -loving fans and mastered the last little hurdle with his greatest success.

In Weiß to Paris – Jan Ullrich had recently achieved this for Germany 27 years ago. “I’m super happy. It was hard three weeks. The last stage was also quite hectic. I just wanted to cross your finish,” said Lipowitz before the award ceremony in the ARD. “I’m just happy that everything worked out.” When the family was called for the first time, “nobody” went on the phone, he said.

“The champagne is back there. This is a big moment for me, we have never been on the podium here. We have now achieved it. I am very happy inside. That makes me proud,” said Ralph Denk, the team leader of the Red Bull team around Lipowitz. “Florian is bound to us in the long term. Of course we would like to win the tour with Florian – but the goal is to win it as a team.”

On his first tour of France, the 24-year-old celebrated his greatest success so far and completed the tour in third place behind defending champion Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark.

The former biathlete and career changer climbed the podium of the world’s largest tour since the two-time tour rune-up Andreas Klöden since the two-time tour runner-up Andreas Klöden.

“Heart Project” of his discoverer

The former winter athlete has only been involved in the bike for five years. As with many stars, there is a meaningful narrative: Lipowitz contacted Red Bull team boss Ralph Denk and asked what he had to do to become a cycling professional.

At lunch, they got to know each other, as Denk said several times. In January he covered the bike 100 kilometers to get to the appointment. And afterwards it went back on two wheels. Denk was impressed by the young man’s will – the official describes the development of the Swabian as a “heart project”.

A rapid ascent followed in the years afterwards: seventh at the Spanish Vuelta last year. At Paris-Nizza he finished second, third on the Dauphiné tour behind the superstars Pogacar and Vingegaard. Hardly anyone would have thought the third overall rank of the most important bike race of the world before the tour.

Planner exacerbated tour grades

In the overall ranking, Lipowitz kept the fourth -placed British Oscar Onley away, the second Vingegaard was almost seven minutes away. Pogacar won with a distance of almost four and a half minutes before the Danish two-time tour champion-since 2020 the two stars have made the tour victories among themselves.

On the occasion of the first target on the Champs-Élysées, the planners built the three-time crossing of the steep district of Montmartre, based on the model of the Olympic Games last year. This also prevented the mass sprint of the sprint -strong professionals that had become a tradition – instead, the final reminded of a spring classic with various attacks.

The times of the overall leaders had already been taken around 50 kilometers before the finish, so that everything else served the show and the fight for the day’s victory.

But with a tour of D’Honneur, in which the overall leader is no longer attacked, the spectacle on the famous hill above the French metropolis didn’t have much to do. Pogacar did not spare himself and fought passionate attacks in front of the frenetic Paris viewers.

The Belgian all -rounder van Aert celebrated the day victory on Sunday. The Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan cheered – even without a chance of a day’s victory – in the green jersey of the best driver. Pogacar also grabbed the dotted mountain jersey, which Vingegaard was allowed to carry.

On the Montmartre hill, the two cycling stars Pogacar and Van Aert fought a relentless duel-with the better end for the Belgian who won the day. “Actually, I had no energy to motivate myself today. I was very happy that they neutralized the stage early. Then it was much more relaxed. Hats off Wout, he was incredibly strong,” said Pogacar.

Pogacar had recently praised Lipowitz in the highest tones: “I think we will see a lot of him in the next few days and years,” said the exceptional driver after the German appearance in the Pyrenees.