Florian Lipowitz won't be getting rid of Tadej Pogacar any time soon. After narrowly losing the duel in French-speaking Switzerland, their paths are likely to cross again in the Alps at the start of the week. "We're doing three days of track inspection. He has exactly the same plan," Lipowitz told ZDF.
This involves exploring some of the stages of the Tour de France, which will be both the season's cycling highlight and the next reunion with the Slovenian. In western Switzerland, Pogacar distanced the German hope by 42 seconds in the overall classification - the duo have never been so close.
One watch, a lot of self-confidence
"It definitely gives me confidence for the tour that we're on the right track," said the noticeably satisfied Lipowitz. At the beginning of the spring, things had looked different. Lipowitz had to cut short an altitude training camp due to an infection, but still finished on the podium in the tough Spanish tours in Catalonia and the Basque Country.
At the Tour de Romandie, he completed his hat-trick of podium finishes. In addition to a classy watch from the race sponsor, his reward was above all a generous portion of self-confidence. Lipowitz's riding style on the final stage also raised the pulse of the seemingly untouchable Pogacar. "When he attacked the second time, it was pretty impressive," said the world champion. Lipowitz also realised this: "Tadej was on the limit."
However, neither Pogacar nor Lipowitz have reached their peak performance yet. This will only be reached during the tour starting in Barcelona on 4 July. The plan until then is ready. After the route inspection, Lipowitz will initially be travelling home for four to five days. One last ride down before the hot summer.
"Step forwards"
"Then it's off to the altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada, followed by the Tour of Slovenia and then the Tour," Lipowitz explained the timetable and was certain: "Pogacar will certainly gain another one or two per cent towards the Tour."
However, that is not out of the question for the German hopeful. "I've made a step forward compared to last year," said Lipowitz. Last year, he finished third in the Tour behind Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. The duo will also be taking part this year, joined by France's wonder boy Paul Seixas. The 19-year-old announced his participation on Monday.
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