After Tuesday's stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the media spotlight fell logically and mainly on little-known stage winner and race leader Iván Romeo (Movistar). But at the same time, Tadej Pogačar was one of those who noticed that Florian Lipowitz, a surprise second overall in Paris-Nice this spring, had also gained time in the break of the day and could be a GC threat.
"With Florian Lipowitz and Eddie Dunbar in the move, you shouldn't give them too much advantage," Pogačar told reporters, and if the Irish Jayco-AlUla racer is a more familiar figure in stage racing battles, Lipowitz has been quietly but steadily rising upwards through cycling's unofficial GC hierarchy, too.
Third in the Tour de Romandie and seventh in the Vuelta a España last year despite working for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader and overall winner Primož Roglič, in 2025 Lipowitz claimed second place in Paris-Nice behind Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and fourth in the Itzulia Basque Country. Now, although he rules out getting on the podium in Critérium du Dauphiné, according to L'Équipe, if a rider like Pogačar rates him as an overall threat, it's surely for a reason.
"The final podium is fairly predictable," he told the French newspaper, presumably referring to Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), "so I have to go for other opportunities." His idea on stage 3, he said, was "to follow the good moves and go on the attack."
"Last year, there were no expectations, I didn't know I could do so well. But after that, I started putting myself under pressure, at races like Paris-Nice and the Dauphiné, because I want to show I'm capable of doing that again.
"I'm progressing, but I know that there will be points where things slow down. Only a few riders can be competitive in every race – me, I'm like 99% of the peloton, I'm normal. I have good days and bad ones."
Having gained 54 seconds on the top GC names thanks to his breakaway, Lipowitz is currently running fourth behind race leader Romeo. This afternoon, in the race's one individual race against the clock, he'll have another chance to show what he's capable of doing.
Then long-term, of course, after an abandon in the 2024 Giro but that top ten placing in the Vuelta in the autumn, there's the question of when he will head for the Tour de France.
"Regarding the Tour, that's still open, but after the Dauphiné, that should become clear," Lipowitz told L'Équipe back in April. "Over the next two or three years, I'd like to become a GC rider, but I also hope to take a stage win in a top race, too.
"Winning a Grand Tour is a bit too out of my range, but fighting for the podium should be possible if everything goes well. I'm not scared of that pressure."
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