Cycling
From biathlon to Tour de France podium: The rise of Florian Lipowitz
Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe's Florian Lipowitz emerged as the breakout star of the 2025 Tour. How did he transform from a winter-sports hopeful into cycling's newest GC star?
At just 24 years old, Florian Lipowitz turned heads at the 2025 Tour de France. Riding for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, the former biathlete claimed not only a brilliant third place overall in the General Classification – his best and biggest result to date – but also the coveted white jersey for the best young rider in the Tour. With strong performances in the Pyrenees and a calm, focused riding style, Lipowitz became one of the breakout riders of the race and even earned a nod from Tadej Pogačar as a "cool guy."
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From biathlon burnout to bike glow‑up
Lipo prepares for a Tour stage
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
Lipowitz’s journey to Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and the the top of the cycling world is full of “what if” moments – times when things could have gone very differently.
“Ambition and determination,” he says, are the two traits that defined him even as a teenager. He and his older brother Philipp (now on Germany’s B‑squad) took their first steps on skis together, but it was Flo who insisted on the move to Schigymnasium Stams in Austria at age 13 to train professionally. “I really wanted to be somewhere with as much time on snow as possible and a serious training set-up. My brother just came along for the ride,” he says.
He gave everything to biathlon until his knees gave out. To stay fit during rehab, he started cycling. At the time, cycling was just cross‑training, not a plan B. “The diagnosis was Osgood‑Schlatter," explains Lipowitz. " Osgood-Schlatter is a condition that causes knee pain in growing athletes, especially where the tendon pulls on the shinbone. "Luckily, cycling was easier on my bones and ligaments," he explains.
The final straw for his biathlon career came in the shape of a surfing accident on holiday. A torn ACL in Fuerteventura forced him into rehab, and when he returned to the bike, he never looked back.
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How he caught the eye of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
Florian Lipowitz came in third overall at Volta a Catalunya
© Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool
I could tell right away: this guy is serious
Instead, he cycled over 100km from his boarding school in Stams to Denk’s office - and back - just to make his pitch. “He pedalled all the way here for the interview. I could tell right away: this guy is serious,” recalls Denk. “At the end, I asked how he was getting back to the boarding school on this rather cold winter evening. He just smiled and hopped on the bike.”
Age posed another hurdle - at 20, he was already too old for the U19 development squad, grenke - Auto Eder - but Denk found him a spot with Team Tirol KTM Cycling, setting the stage for a fresh path in the pro ranks.
After two years on the UCI Continental circuit, 'Lipo', as he likes to be known, joined the World Tour roster in 2023. His Nordic skiing endurance background proved a powerful foundation.
Florian Lipowitz celebrates claiming the white jersey
© Dario Belingheri/Getty Images
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His training methods and mental game
Depending on the season, Lipowitz trains 20–24 hours per week: “Mostly base work, long sessions, not too much intensity,” he explains. He also embraces unconventional training. In the UK, he honed his aero position for the 2025 season inside the 2.7km-long Catesby Tunnel, once used by trains, now a time trial haven for elite cycling teams.
Florian Lipowitz looks sleek in his team jersey
© Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool
Doesn’t matter if it says 400 or 430 watts - I listen to my gut and stay with the best
He’s mentally disciplined when it counts. Whether going solo in a time trial or attacking a steep climb: “I can manage my emotions in a race. I don’t check my bike computer much. Doesn’t matter if it says 400 or 430 watts - I listen to my gut and stay with the best.”
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Tour de France 2025 breakout star
Lipo and Roglič arm in arm after the ride up Mont Ventoux
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
Florian Lipowitz entered the 2025 Tour as a debutant and support rider for Primož Roglič, but with bold attacks and fresh legs - especially on the section between Auch and Hautacam - he rewrote expectations. Now, he’s up there alongside legends Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.
He completed a brutal Pyrenees triple, moving to third overall in GC and scoring his second Grand Tour podium after the 2024 Vuelta. His time trial performance on an airstrip familiar to fans of the Bond movies was another standout moment.
Now, after shaking off the big Stage 17 crash and holding his pace to Paris, he's earned Germany’s first Tour podium since Andreas Klöden in 2006.
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The podium is becoming familiar territory in 2026
Lipowitz and Evenepoel go into Tour de France 2026 as joint lead
© Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool
The 2026 season began with numerous podium places – third at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in March, second at Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Romandie in April – topped off by winning the overall title at the 169.4km Tour of Slovenia in June, in which he beat team-mate Giulio Pellizzari by 42 seconds.
Returning to the Tour de France after claiming a podium finish on his debut in 2025, Lipowitz started the 2026 edition as a Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe's joint leader alongside Remco Evenepoel. Together, the pair spearheaded the team's general classification ambitions, with Lipowitz spending much of the opening two weeks among the leading contenders in the race. Sitting fifth overall before Stage 16, he remained well placed heading into the final week. Although a crash in the individual time trial brought an early end to his second Tour de France, his performances once again highlighted the progress he has made since switching from biathlon to professional cycling.