"Lipowitz's Aerial Performance Impresses as Roglic's Preferred Choice in the Vuelta"
Cycling ace Primoz Roglic is in awe of the talent displayed by German prospect Florian Lipowitz during the Vuelta a España. "He's soaring," Roglic expressed during the race's second rest day. "Being teammates with him for the first time is a joy. He's shown impressive performances before, but now he's donning the white jersey."
Lipowitz is currently sixth in the overall standings and leads the young rider classification after two weeks of the Vuelta. The 23-year-old is just over two minutes away from the podium in this grueling race. In his bid for the white jersey, Lipowitz, previously an accomplished biathlete, trails Spanish contender Carlos Rodriguez by a mere seven seconds. Rodriguez has already achieved top-ten finishes in the Tour de France twice.
Lipowitz supports Roglic
However, Lipowitz primarily serves as a support for Roglic within the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe squad. The 34-year-old is currently second in the general classification, trailing Australian leader Ben O'Connor by 1 minute and 3 seconds. Roglic is seen as the top contender for the final week, featuring three mountain stages and an individual time trial in Madrid. He aims to secure his fourth Vuelta win.
Roglic surrendered the red leader's jersey to O'Connor on the sixth stage. A few days later, Roglic encountered some difficulties in the mountains, which he attributed to back issues. "At the moment, everything is working perfectly. I'm eager for the upcoming stages," Roglic reassured. Over the weekend, Roglic managed to regain some ground on O'Connor, but he was also penalized with a 20-second time penalty for staying in his team vehicle's slipstream for too long.
"It was an extremely tough week, a grueling day today," Roglic admitted late on Sunday. He is "delighted with this result," despite failing to take the lead. O'Connor was quite pleased with his successful defense of the lead: "I'm still ahead, and that matters. I'm taking it day by day."
Roglic holds the advantage
The winning duo of a three-man breakaway team was decided during the final climb, which was an arduous 23% grade over 18.9 kilometers, culminating at 1835 meters above sea level. Spanish rider Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma) pushed ahead three kilometers from the finish line, leaving behind Frenchman Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates) and Russian Alexander Wlassow (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). Wlassow attempted to catch up to Castrillo but ultimately fell short. Castrillo secured the first Spanish victory of the Vuelta this year.
The following challenging mountain stage awaits on Tuesday in Lagos de Covadonga. After two easier days, the mountain stages at Alto de Moncalvillo and Picón Blanco follow. The ultimate showdown will occur in Madrid on Sunday, where a 24.6-kilometer time trial is scheduled. In this discipline, Roglic is anticipated to hold a significant edge over O'Connor.
Despite serving as a support for Primoz Roglic, Florian Lipowitz's impressive performances have not gone unnoticed. He continues to climb the rankings, currently in sixth position in the overall standings and leading the young rider classification. Lipowitz also lends his support to Roglic during team activities, such as staying in the team vehicle's slipstream during the race.
