Red Bull insist early gap between Evenepoel and Lipowitz was part of plan in Tour TTT

The time trial Olympic and world champion was at the heart of the German team’s effort throughout the 19.6km in Barcelona, with a strong and committed Remco Evenepoel surging clear of his co-leader Florian Lipowitz inside the final kilometre.

Evenepoel powered up Montjuïc to the line, with a time that would see Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe ultimately place fifth on the stage, 18 seconds behind stage winners Visma | Lease a Bike, led home by Jonas Vingegaard. Lipowitz crossed the line 16 seconds behind his Belgian teammate, creating an early time gap between the duo in the overall standings.

Vingegaard moved into the yellow jersey for the first time since winning the GC in 2023. Evenepoel sits fifth overall at 19 seconds from the Dane, while Lipowitz is eighth at 35 seconds.

Red Bull Sports Director Klaas Lodewyck explained how the time trial played out as the team anticipated, with Evenepoel gaining some early ground on Lipowitz.

“It was factored in that Florian [Lipowitz] would get dropped by Remco [Evenepoel],” Lodewyck told Het Laatste Nieuws at the finish line.

Overall, the team view within the Red Bull camp was positive after the opening test, with Evenepoel feeling strong on the day.

“We can certainly be satisfied with our performance today. The yellow jersey isn’t a priority just yet. On a day like this, there’s simply more to lose than to gain. Remco put in a huge amount of work today and is feeling great," said Lodewyck.

Lodewyck was also quick to point out that the gap of 16 seconds between the two Red Bull leaders is likely to pale in significance by Paris after three weeks of racing.

“The gap also remained small. Does this immediately clarify the balance of power between our leaders? I don’t think so; the final reckoning won’t come until Paris.”

Speaking a little while later to the media, including Sporza, Evenepoel echoed the view of his sports director, describing the performance as in line with expectations.

“It’s the result we more or less expected. It’s pretty okay, I think,” said Evenepoel, who was asked about how the team judged their effort on the flatter opening half.

"We didn't lose that much time there. We rode the time trial we were capable of riding. I knew I had to shoulder the burden in the finale to get up the short climbs as fast as possible."

Evenepoel noted that the team began to lose strength slightly earlier than was ideal, but acknowledged that all teams faced similar challenges in executing their plans on the day.

Asked about the early time difference between himself and Lipowitz, he remained relaxed about the situation, saying: “A pace was set for me, and I maintained it. I did my thing in the finale.”

Stage 2 is a punchy stage that could see further early differences in the general classification, and Red Bull will hope their two leaders cement their confidence with a positive performance.