Former biathlete Florian Lipowitz finished the Tour de Romandie in third place and celebrated his breakthrough in the elite cycling league.
Lipowitz, 23, rolled to the finish line in the main field on Sunday (April 28, 2024) on the 150.8-kilometer final stage with start and finish in Vernier and successfully defended the podium place he had captured the day before.
“I’m super happy about the result. Before French-speaking Switzerland, I never expected that I would be able to be at the front here,” said Lipowitz: “Actually, I came here with mixed feelings because I haven’t had that many racing days this season and I’m coming Straight from the altitude training camp, the fact that I can ride at the front gives me real self-confidence.”
In the final tally, Lipowitz was only nine seconds behind the Spanish overall winner Carlos Rodriguez. The Russian Alexander Vlasov, who like Lipowitz drove for the German team Bora-hansgrohe, came second, seven seconds behind.
Overall ranking arrow on the right
Lipowitz made his big appearance on the penultimate stage
Although Lipowitz won the Tour of the Czech Republic last year, his performance in French-speaking Switzerland is much higher. The race in western Switzerland is part of the WorldTour, the highest category in cycling.
Lipowitz took the most important step towards the podium on Saturday at the mountain finish in Leysin. The tour talent separated himself on the almost 14 kilometer long final climb with Rodriguez and Olympic champion Richard Carapaz. Carapaz attacked first, Lipowitz countered in the last 300 meters, but the Ecuadorian saved a narrow lead to the finish.
Lipowitz in good company: Roglic is also a career changer
Lateral entrant Lipowitz, who was a member of the DSV national biathlon squad as a student, will take part in the Giro d’Italia from May 4th and thus his first major tour. There he will put himself in the service of captain Daniel Martinez. Lipowitz only joined Bora-hansgrohe last year. This week his impressive development was rewarded with a contract extension until the end of 2025.
Lipowitz is not the only newcomer to the German WorldTour team. Captain Primoz Roglic was once an active ski jumper. Anton Palzer has achieved great success in ski mountaineering.