German stage-racing specialist Florian Lipowitz is eyeing a change in approach for the upcoming 2027 season, looking to improve his overall offering as a rider with more one-day Classics on his calendar.
Speaking on ARD, Lipowitz already floated the idea and said: "I simply need to focus a bit more on one-day races and improve there," which Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk has backed, saying it could help with his talents as a GC racer.
"I would even welcome that, because one-day races are ridden even harder than stage races," said Denk as reported by Eurosport Germany.
But he also asserted that "it has to be the right fit," for Lipowitz, one of the German squad's key leaders. "It's a balancing act."
A former Tour de France podium finisher in just his third year as a professional, Lipowitz entered 2026 with a schedule of only one-week stage races and the Tour de France – except for a team time trial dress rehearsal at the Trofeo Ses Salines – until he got injured.
While his level constantly improved from eighth in the Algarve to third in Catalunya, second in the Basque Country and Romandie, and finally to victory at the Tour of Slovenia, Lipowitz had his Tour abruptly ended during the stage 16 time trial. In one of the tightest corners, he crashed hard and broke his collarbone, abandoning the race having been sat fifth overall and in the race for the podium.
"I felt incredibly sorry for him at the time," said Denk, detailing how he then reassured Lipowitz, who started as co-leader alongside Remco Evenepoel at the Tour.
"We made it clear to him that he was on par with the very best in the first half of the season. He achieved podium finishes in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Romandie. In addition, he won the Tour of Slovenia."
Lipowitz eventually made his return to racing at the Giro della Toscana, 50 days after his crash, and ended his season with four one-day race appearances, including at the World Championships in Montreal, finishing 47th.
Denk is eyeing up the brutally difficult Worlds road race in Haute-Savoie next year for Lipowitz, another reason for wanting to add more Classics to his calendar in preparation.
"The World Championships are incredibly tough with 5,000 metres of elevation gain, and that's exactly what Florian is suited to," said the team boss. "Therefore, it would be good if he did one or two one-day races beforehand."
He was due to race another one-day race in support of Evenepoel at Il Lombardia, but was forced to miss out due to illness.
Denk is certain the 26-year-old would have played a "good role" there, and said: "We missed him there – due to illness. I would have liked to have him with us." Evenepoel rode to fourth as Paul Seixas took solo victory.
Lipowitz and Evenepoel did butt heads momentarily during their Tour together as co-leaders, after the Belgian called out his teammate for not giving him a lead-out on stage 6, but the team and both riders squashed any potential issues the next morning. While their cooperation as co-leaders didn't get to play out fully after the German crashed out, Evenepoel's improvement in level to take second overall behind Pogačar adds to his standing as the team's main leader.
No decisions have been made yet over who will get leadership at which Grand Tour in 2027; they will only be confirmed on December 11 at the team's media day, but it would be unlikely to see Evenepoel not race the Tour again – even if he has said the door is not closed to potentially returning to the Giro d'Italia.
For Lipowitz, whose status is advanced as the German team's top home rider – an important figure for their German and Austrian title sponsors – his 2025 third place finish still holds him in good stead to potentially go back to the Tour, but Denk and his sporting management staff may want to spread their GC stars out, especially with Primož Roglič leaving the team.
When asked who would be riding where early into the off-season, Denk said: "That's a question that can be discussed. The outcome is still open," with the Tour route to be revealed on Thursday, October 22, and the Giro and Vuelta route to come out in November and December.
In 2026, Red Bull finished on the podium of all three Grand Tours: third at the Giro with Hindley, second at the Tour with Evenepoel, and second at the Vuelta with Roglič.
Denk's highlighted how "we've already won the Giro and know what that feels like. It definitely has its charm," suggesting he could be eyeing up sending one of his two main leaders to the Italian Grand Tour, though that spot could go to one of Hindley, or Italian riders Giulio Pellizzari and Lorenzo Finn, with Denk opting for Evenepoel and Lipowitz together at the Tour again.
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