Remco Evenepoel was distanced by the biggest guns on the Col du Tourmalet, appearing cranky during the stage and not holding back afterwards (Photo: Thomas Maheux)
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) could not follow with the biggest names rode away on the Col du Tourmalet at the Tour de France and was matched by the younger riders looking to leapfrog him in cycling's pecking order.
Once it was clear he had been left behind, Evenepoel looked cranky on the bike. He could be seen remonstrating with several riders he was with, appearing reluctant to take on too much work - which is unlike him - and urging others to get on the front and help out.
Indeed, pushing Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) out of his way in the GC group, even before Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) attacked on the Tourmalet, was a sign of things to come.
But those small signs of unease, even losing his cool, out on the road were nothing compared to the very direct remarks he made to the media about his team mate, Florian Lipowitz, after the stage.
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Both were left in a chasing group pursuing Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who was second man on the road behind stage winner, and new race leader, Pogačar.
Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz were all smiles in the pre-Tour publicity shots, but the cracks have started to appear (Photo: Lorenz Holder)
Lipowitz was 3rd on this race last year and is co-team leader with Evenepoel on the Tour. But the Belgian rider, whose palmares blows Lipowitz's out of the water, today believed the German should work for him in the final.
When Lipowitz declined to do so, Evenepoel was very unhappy. And he did not hold back when speaking to the media.
"I had asked for a lead-out, and I didn't get one," Evenepoel told Sporza, clearly livid that his team mate would not help him win the sprint for 3rd, so he could mop up the bonus seconds on offer.
"Yes, I was angry, and rightly so. In the Volta a Catalunya, I rode at the front for him for 30 kilometres. I asked him to do one kilometre of work at the front, and that wasn't possible.
"That made me angry, and that will need to be discussed thoroughly tonight," he added in remarks that are very unusual in cycling, where most interviews consist of long chunks of praise for a rider's team whatever has transpired on the road.
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Lipowitz's 3rd place finish at the Tour last year, winning the young rider classification, has secured him co-leadership of the team, alongside Evenepoel, this year (Photo: Charly López)
Evenepoel looked very frustrated coming over the line, having been beaten by Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) in the sprint for 3rd place.
The Belgian then had to go to doping control, which took some time. And while he may have been expected to have cooled off by the time he spoke to journalists later, that was clearly not the case.
Evenepoel said he could not follow the pace of Pogačar, and his team, on the Tourmalet, but felt pretty good during the stage apart from that point.
However, when he got into a chasing group, he was not impressed that many of the riders were reluctant to chase the leading duo as hard as they could.
"I understand that del Toro and Sepp Kuss aren't riding, but Lidl-Trek was there with just the two of them and they didn't want to drive right away.
"I thought: what do you have to lose? If we work together, maybe we can get as far as Jonas. But a few riders wanted to (shelter) again."
Evenepoel was also asked about nudging Seixas out of his way before the big attack split the GC group on the Tourmalet, insisting relations between him and the French teenager were good.
"Was there something between us? No, I hadn't understood him. He also said that he didn't understand why some riders were dragging themselves along. I told him that this is the Tour and that it wouldn't be the last time."
Evenepoel moved from Soudal-QuickStep to Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe for the start of this season. He wanted more support from a team in his bid to win the Tour de France.
However, he went into last year's Tour hoping to improve on his 3rd place of 2024, but abandoned the race while sitting 3rd overall on stage 14.
Lipowitz, who seems to be a better climber that Evenepoel - though the Belgian beats him hands down at everything else - went on to finish 3rd in the Tour.
And since that podium finish in Paris last July, Lipowitz has shot up the pecking order in the German team and now shares leadership with Evenepoel, something the Belgian rider would never have expected.
