Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has ended his breakthrough 2025 season and so will not ride Il Lombardia, preferring to switch off and freshen up before he teams up with Remco Evenepoel in 2026.
The 25-year-old German finished third at the Tour de France behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vinegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and won the best young rider's jersey with a determined ride in the final mountain stages as he fought with Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) for the final podium spot.
Lipowitz outperformed and outshone Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Primož Roglič and suddenly gave the German team a new Grand Tour and stage race contender as the deal to sign Evenepoel was completed. In 2026, Roglič is expected to target the Giro d'Italia in his final season, while Lipowitz and Evenepoel focus on the Tour de France.
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Lipowitz also finished second overall at Paris-Nice, fourth at Itzulia Basque Country and third at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He raced the Deutschland Tour and the races in Canada to end his season with 52 race days.
With expectations high for 2026, it was the right moment to end his season, put the bike away for a few weeks, not worry about training and diet plans and mentally switch off.
"Right after the races in Canada, we decided to bring the off-season forward by three weeks. Now I can finally take care of all the things that never fit in during the year. And it feels great to clear my head completely," Lipowitz explained as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe prepared to announce their Il Lombardia line-up.
"During the season, everything is scheduled – racing, training, recovery. There’s hardly any space to switch off. Now I have time to ride without purpose, or not ride at all. This kind of mental recovery is just as important as the physical rest.
"I'm looking forward to everyday life. To family, friends, and having time without thinking about watts, food scales, or stage profiles.
"I’m looking forward to being at home, maybe taking a spontaneous trip somewhere, without checking a training plan first. It sounds simple, but that kind of freedom is a real luxury during the season. And at the same time, I can already feel the anticipation for next year building – but this time with completely fresh energy."
Lipowitz grew up as a talented biathlete in Germany and the Tirol before focusing on cycling in his late teens. His aerobic potential was huge, and he quickly emerged in the professional ranks, joining Bora-Hansgrohe in 2023.
He won his first races in 2023 and impressed in his second professional year by finishing seventh at the Vuelta a España while supporting Roglič for the overall win in 2024, but 2025 was his true breakthrough season.
"It was only a few weeks ago that I really processed what had happened this year," Lipowitz explained
"The results give me confidence that none of it was a coincidence – that the hard training and all those weeks away from home truly paid off. At the same time, the sudden attention was something new for me. Learning to handle that while staying grounded is part of the process."
