Remco Evenepoel unhappy with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe co-leader Florian Lipowitz on Tour de France Stage 6 - 'I was rightly angry'
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Updated 10/07/2026 at 00:25 GMT+1
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Remco Evenepoel crossed the line on Thursday with more than just a fourth-placed finish on Stage 6 of the Tour de France on his mind. The Belgian rider was visibly frustrated after revealing that his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe co-leader Florian Lipowitz had declined to provide a lead-out in the closing kilometres.
Highlights: Pogacar takes Stage 6 after dominating the Tourmalet
Video credit: TNT Sports
Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France delivered a Pyrenean statement from Tadej Pogacar, but the biggest fallout came from the battle behind him.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader Pogacar produced a dominant display on the Col du Tourmalet, setting the fastest recorded ascent of the climb before powering clear to victory in Gavarnie-Gedre and reclaiming the yellow jersey.
For overnight leader Torstein Traeen, the day represented a dramatic reversal of fortunes as the Uno-X Mobility rider was unable to match the pace on the Tourmalet, being dropped early on the climb before later suffering a crash on the descent.
By the time he reached the finish, Pogacar had already celebrated his 23rd Tour de France stage victory, while Traeen crossed the line nearly half an hour later after a second day in yellow that proved far more punishing than rewarding, and the Norwegian later withdrew from the race due to injury,.
Pogacar moved one step closer to Mark Cavendish’s record of 35 stage wins, but while the Slovenian's solo triumph appeared inevitable once he escaped, the real tension unfolded in the group fighting to limit their losses - and it was there that Red Bull's internal dynamics came under scrutiny.
The team still emerged from the stage with two riders inside the top seven overall, as Evenepoel finished fourth on the day and moved into fourth place in the general classification, while Lipowitz crossed the line in sixth and sits seventh overall.
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'Not the day I wanted... but the fight is not over' - Vingegaard on Stage 6
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But the result was overshadowed by Evenepoel’s visible frustration after the finish, with the Belgian making clear that he felt he had not received the support he expected from his team-mate during the closing kilometres.
After initially being too frustrated to speak at the finish, Evenepoel later explained his anger to Sporza, directing particular criticism towards Lipowitz.
"I had asked for a lead-out, and I didn’t get one," he said.
"Yes, I was angry, and rightly so. In the Tour of Catalonia, I rode on the front for him for 30 kilometres. I asked him to ride on the front for one kilometre, and that wasn't possible. That made me angry, and it will have to be thoroughly discussed tonight."
Lipowitz crested the Col du Tourmalet ahead of Evenepoel alongside Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Isaac del Toro (UAE), but the Belgian used the long descent to bridge back across before the final climb to Gavarnie-Gedre.
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Blythe blasts Tour de France intervention - 'What a load of tripe'
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With Red Bull holding a numerical advantage alongside Lidl-Trek's Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose, the chase group had an opportunity to limit the damage, but they reached the finish 2'57'' behind Pogacar and 19 seconds adrift of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Evenepoel acknowledged the strength of UAE's pace on the 17-kilometre Tourmalet ascent.
"UAE went extremely fast. We were already riding pretty fast ourselves, but they went extremely fast," he added.
Evenepoel was pleased with his own approach, explaining that he had deliberately avoided going too deep on the climb, knowing the descent could play to his strengths.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/07/09/image-b1c7bb28-5987-4ad5-84c3-bbcb7e84ef44-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Pogacar after stunning Stage 6 win - 'I woke up at 7am and my mind was going crazy!'
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It was pretty OK," he said. "I did what I could do. In any case, I wasn't planning on overdoing it at the end of the Tourmalet, because a long descent was still waiting. I knew that with my descending skills I could still catch up to the group in front of me."
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The disagreement with Lipowitz, however, highlights the challenge facing Red Bull as they attempt to manage two ambitious riders with genuine podium aspirations.
The team entered the season believing that Evenepoel and Lipowitz could form a powerful partnership capable of challenging the sport's leading stage-race riders. Their first major mountain test, however, has already brought questions about expectations and responsibilities.
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Yellow jersey Traeen crashes after clipping team-mate's wheel on Tourmalet descent
Video credit: TNT Sports
Evenepoel's frustration extended beyond his own team, as he also questioned why Lidl-Trek chose not to contribute more heavily to the chase despite having two riders present in Skjelmose and Ayuso.
"I understand that Del Toro and Sepp Kuss don’t ride, that is normal," he continued. "But Lidl-Trek were there with two riders and they didn’t want to ride straight away.
"I thought, 'What do you have to lose? If we work together, maybe we can still get to Jonas.' But a few riders wanted to drag again."
Evenepoel found an ally in Seixas, who was also surprised by the reluctance of some riders to share the workload.
"He also said that he didn't understand why some riders were dragging themselves along," Evenepoel said. "I told him that this is the Tour and that it wouldn't be the last time."
Despite the frustration, Evenepoel's own performance offered plenty of encouragement. He emerged from the Tourmalet stage as one of the strongest riders behind the two race leaders and remained within touching distance of the podium.
He sits 3'30'' behind Pogacar and only seconds away from the riders immediately ahead of him, while Lipowitz remains close enough to play a major role in the overall battle.
"There is still a lot possible, but Jonas is in good shape too," conceded Evenepoel. "We must not forget that."
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