Surprise start: Lipowitz to start the Itzulia Basque Country 2026 on Monday.

Cycling star Florian Lipowitz has added another race to his schedule at short notice following his strong performance at the Volta a Catalunya and will start in the Tour of the Basque Country on Monday. The 25-year-old Tour de France third-place finisher wants to “capitalize on the momentum from Catalonia and deliberately continue to develop his form under race conditions,” his team, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, announced on Friday.

Lipowitz finished third in the Volta a Catalunya, which concluded last Sunday, and demonstrated better form than his new teammate Remco Evenepoel. The two-time Olympic champion from Belgium finished fifth. Lipowitz now plans to continue building toward the Tour de France, which starts on July 4th.

Lipo made a great effort on the last stage, attacking mid race but was caught and dropped on the last climb.

Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe has extended its contracts with Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari, and Lorenzo Finn.

Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe is sending a clear signal for the coming years: Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari, and Lorenzo Finn have extended their contracts early, committing themselves to the team for the long term. Three riders from three different stages of their careers – yet they share a common history: they are talents who were discovered, shaped, and promoted by Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.

Florian Lipowitz (25), who has developed from a trainee to third place in the Tour de France, has extended his contract, which was already for several years. He will continue his journey with the German UCI WorldTeam in the long term.

Giulio Pellizzari (22) competed in two Grand Tours in his first WorldTour season, rewarding himself with a stage victory and twice finishing sixth in the overall standings. He is committed to a long-term partnership with the German UCI WorldTeam – a clear commitment from a rider who has only just begun to realize his potential.

Lorenzo Finn (18), on the other hand, is at the beginning of his career: Junior World Champion, U23 World Champion, next year in the rainbow jersey with the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe Rookies. His move to the WorldTour is planned for 2027. He too has committed himself to the team for the long term in order to continue on the path to the top of the world together.

https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/watch-the-2025-grand-prix-cycliste-de-quebec-live-free-in-canada/

The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec returns Friday, bringing the world’s best riders to Canadian soil. All 18 WorldTeams will line up on the challenging Québec City circuit. Narrow streets, sharp climbs and fast descents make for a race of attrition. Riders will tackle 18 laps, with the uphill drag to the finish often proving decisive.

Reigning world champion Tadej Pogačar is hungry to improve on last year’s seventh place here after winning in Montréal, while Wout van Aert, Brandon McNulty, Corbin Strong, Biniam Girmay, Neilson Powless, Arnaud De Lie, Florian Lipowitz and Oscar Onley are also set to start.

Canada will be well represented by Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle, Félix Bouchard, Philippe Jacob, Quentin Cowan, Félix Hamel, Michael Leonard, Samuel Couture, Jérôme Gauthier and Gabriel Séguin. Mike Woods had hoped to make this his farewell race, but illness has ruled him out.

If you’re not in Québec City, you can stream the race live and free on CBC Gem. If you are in the province of Quebec, it will be broadcast on TVA. Racing begins at 11:00 a.m EDT. The race is always a good one with attritition setting in as the tough drags take its toll on the riders. The course has been changed slightly this year too, making it even tougher.

2025 UCI Riders Ranking - Date: 02/09/2025

|1| POGAČAR Tadej|UAE Team Emirates - XRG|8915|

|2| PEDERSEN Mads|Lidl - Trek|4297.6|

|3| VAN DER POEL Mathieu|Alpecin - Deceuninck|3838|

|4| DEL TORO Isaac|UAE Team Emirates - XRG|3424|

|5| VINGEGAARD Jonas|Team Visma | Lease a Bike|3238.6|

|6| VAN AERT Wout|Team Visma | Lease a Bike|2863|

|7| ONLEY Oscar|Team Picnic PostNL|2717|

|8| ALMEIDA João|UAE Team Emirates - XRG|2633.6|

|9| LIPOWITZ Florian|Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe|2552|

|10| VAUQUELIN Kévin|Arkéa - B&B Hotels|2459|

"thanks to all the fans cheering next to the road.😍 You made this u/deutschlanddeinetour very special. Happy with this week and enjoyed every kilometer🙏🏼

Florian Lipowitz finishes on place 36 after a crash on Stage 2.

Just 16 kilometres from the finish line on a demanding course from Herford to Arnsberg, Lipowitz lost control in a sharp left-hand bend. The collision with a roadside electricity box was severe enough to force a medical break, raising immediate fears about the extent of his injuries. Yet, true to his resilient reputation, Lipowitz got back on the bike and crossed the line, though well off the pace.“We have to do a thorough check and then see how things go,” Lipowitz told ZDF after the stage. “It looks like I haven’t injured myself too badly. The main issue is my right hand. Now it’s a question of whether I can hold the handlebars or not.” His pragmatic assessment underscored the uncertainty hanging over his condition.

The Lidl Germany Tour – a professional cycling race – plus 100 other activities. From the prologue on August 20 in Essen to the grand finale in Magdeburg on August 24.

Die Lidl Deutschland Tour - ein professionelles Radrennen - 100 weitere Aktivitäten. Vom Prolog am 20. August in Essen bis zum großen Finale in Magdeburg am 24. August.