Red Bull video with Evenepoel and Lipowitz criticised as ‘staged’ after Tour dispute

Evenepoel criticised Lipowitz following stage six after the German failed to support him in the sprint for third place at Gavarnie Gèdre.

“I asked for a lead out and didn’t get one,” Evenepoel said after the finish. “That made me angry, and we’ll need to have a proper discussion about it.”

Before stage seven, the pair appeared together in a video recorded on the team bus. Both riders gave a positive assessment of the previous day.

“I think we can be happy with yesterday,” Lipowitz said.

Evenepoel agreed. “I finished fourth and Lipo sixth, which is quite good. We came in with the other podium contenders, so it was a good day for us.”

The video appeared to be part of an effort by the team to ease tensions following Evenepoel’s comments. It drew considerable criticism on social media, however, with many viewers describing the exchange as ‘forced’ and ‘staged’. 

Some compared it to a 2019 Movistar video featuring Nairo Quintana, Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde, in which the three riders attempted to play down reports of internal tension during the Tour de France.

Alongside the video, the team also sought to play down the dispute through comments from several senior figures and Evenepoel himself.

Team manager Ralph Denk played down the incident, saying it had been “made out to be bigger than it actually was”. He added that the riders had laughed together at dinner.

Head of sport Zak Dempster described the disagreement as a normal consequence of elite competition.

“It’s the heat of the moment and top level sport,” Dempster said. “Everyone is human.”

Evenepoel later confirmed that the issue had been resolved but refused to reveal details of the conversation.

“Everything has been discussed and clarified. We can move on,” he said. “The past is the past. Now we look forward.”

The episode has nevertheless highlighted the tension that can come with Red Bull’s shared leadership strategy. Both Evenepoel, fourth overall, and Lipowitz, who sits seventh, remain in contention for a podium place, meaning the internal hierarchy may only become clear later in the race.