Florian Lipowitz honest about his ceiling: 'Vingegaard and Pogacar are on another level'

“I never expected something like this.” That sentence comes early when he talks about the moment he realised he could follow the very best in the mountains. His coach was less surprised. “My coach always said he saw this coming, but for me it definitely did not feel that way.”

The weeks after the Tour were almost more challenging than the race itself. “You read a lot about yourself on the internet and switching off is not easy.” The pressure, the noise and the sudden spotlight took a toll. “I think my body was simply at the limit and needed a break.” He became ill more than once and only felt himself again once he was back home.

Life away from racing remains his anchor. “For me it is important that my life is not only about cycling.” He needs time with family, his girlfriend and long stretches where training does not dominate the day. 

The silence of normal life is something he welcomes. “I am happy when I can be on my own again.” That balance keeps him steady amid the increased attention. “I try to put it aside, but today you cannot completely avoid it.”

When he talks about Pogacar and Vingegaard he does so without envy or frustration. Just realism. “Vingegaard and Pogacar ride on a completely different level. Those two do their own race and the rest of us fight for third place.” It is not defeatism but an honest assessment from a rider who has seen their level up close.

He also rejects the idea that his new status changes anything inside the bunch. “People do not really make space for others anymore. Everyone rides their own race.”

His view on Remco Evenepoel, who joins Bora Hansgrohe for 2026, is just as straightforward. “Remco enjoys the attention and being in the centre. That does not really apply to me.” The contrast does not concern him. “Maybe we complement each other well.”

That contrast may become more visible next season, as Evenepoel arrives with an ambitious schedule. In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws he spoke about weighing up a Giro Tour double, possible debuts at Milan San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, and a strong focus on the World Championships in Montreal, with the Tour almost certain to be on his schedule.

Lipowitz remains pragmatic about what 2026 might bring. “Of course you want to ride the Tour, but many things can happen and the final line up is only decided shortly before.” And whatever the season looks like, he keeps perspective. “If one year goes backwards, it is not the end of the world.”