The tour debut of former biathlete Florian Lipowitz has so far exceeded expectations. After three weeks of the Giro d’Italia we will know whether Germany once again has Grand Tour talent.
Just a few years ago, Florian Lipowitz mostly traveled on skis and carried a rifle on his back. He now has a racing bike under his buttocks and is astonishing as a debutant at the Giro d’Italia. The 23-year-old former German school biathlon champion is currently continuing the series of excellent newcomers to cycling, now called Primoz Roglic (ski jumping) or Remco Evenepoel (football).
Lipowitz’s acid test in Oropa
Florian Lipowitz’s big test at the Giro d’Italia came on the second day. Tadej Pogacar ignited his turbo on the climb to the Oropa chapel, just as the Slovenian does. Daniel Martinez, captain of Bora-hansgrohe and man for the overall classification, initially had difficulties. But the Colombian managed to catch up with the chasing group.
That’s where Florian Lipowitz’s big moment came: he harnessed himself to this group and hunted down Pogacar. He didn’t catch the Slovenian anymore. But anyone who tried their luck in between was literally sucked in by Lipowitz. His helper work enabled Martinez to finally sprint to second place behind Pogacar.
“We worked well together as a team,” said Lipowitz modestly after the stage. It was mainly thanks to his efforts that Bora-hansgrohe was able to feel like they were at least the second winner that day.
Rest for the maturation process
Lipowitz is doing a three-week tour for the first time. The team thinks highly of the young boys. “He has great potential and on Sunday he had a really great day. But he is also still young and please leave him alone. The German press is really aggressive,” says Enrico Gasparotto, the team’s sporting director, to the Sportschau . Protecting the jewel from too much media stress is the watchword at the racing team. Lipowitz should save energy and not allow himself to be distracted.
He still managed to get a few sentences out of him. “I think I started my first Grand Tour quite well,” he told the Sportschau. “We’re still at the beginning. That’s why the body still feels pretty good.” Emotionally he is swimming on a positive wave. “It’s something special to be at the start here. The atmosphere is great and it’s fun to cycle race in this atmosphere,” he summed up after the first days of the Giro.
On the flat stages from Monday to Wednesday he was able to take it a little easier. The next test is the gravel stage to Rapolano Terme on Thursday. “Of course our focus is on Dani Martinez again. But Florian should stay close to him and help him, like the others,” says Gasparotto.
Lipowitz’ role: most important mountain helper
But Lipowitz will again take on a special role in the mountains. “Based on his characteristics, he is the one who should stay with Dani the longest,” says Gasparotto, referring to the stages in the high mountains that are scheduled in the second and third weeks of the Giro.
Lipowitz knows this, but he also does everything he can to avoid being overwhelmed by the burden of expectations. He has the freedom to try things out, to explore his limits in the service of the team and to recognize his potential. “It’s my first Grand Tour. That’s why I haven’t set myself any big goals. I’ll be happy when I arrive in Rome. But there’s still a long way to go until then,” he explains.
Breakthrough at the Tour de Romandie
The caution expressed in these words is entirely appropriate. In his young career, Lipowitz already felt how much illness can affect you. On the Tour of Catalonia in mid-March, he wasn’t able to fully exploit his potential because he was ill over the winter, says Gaparotto.
At the Tour de Romandie at the end of April, he made his breakthrough to the top of the world with second place on the queen stage, at the same time as winner Richard Carapaz and ahead of his actual captain Alexander Vlasov or the resurgent former tour winner Egan Bernal. He finished the week-long tour in third place overall, just nine seconds behind winner Carlos Rodriguez.
Talent test at the age of nine
“He brings the endurance talent with him from biathlon,” says Gasparotto, describing the most important advantage of the switcher. But he was also on the bike very early. At the age of nine he competed in his first cycling marathon together with his parents. He took “the little loop,” he remembered – it was 120 kilometers. During his time as a biathlete, he used cycling as a recreational sport in the summer. And then beat the assembled elite in this discipline at the cycling marathons.
Sportschau Tourfunk, May 2nd, 2024 5:30 p.m
Now the dimensions are different. For three weeks he has to do one kind of cycling marathon after another every day. The longest tour he has completed so far – the Tour of Turkey last year – lasted eight days. Florian Lipowitz will soon be venturing into territory previously unknown to his body.
But it is an expedition that he is looking forward to – and which will also provide information about whether German cycling once again has a real talent for the big tours.