Florian Lipowitz wins Tour of Slovenia with back-to-back stage victories, sending a message ahead of the Tour de France

Dominant display in Slovenia

Florian Lipowitz wrapped up a commanding victory at the 2026 Tour of Slovenia on Sunday, winning the fifth and final stage in Novo Mesto. The 25-year-old attacked on the last climb of the 169.4-kilometre route from Litija and held off a chasing group by 24 seconds. The win followed his triumph on Saturday's queen stage to Kranjska Gora, where he took the overall lead. It marked his first professional wins since 9 July 2024.

This has been an impressive week for the whole team. I am very proud and happy about the second win here.

A message to rivals

Lipowitz, third in the 2025 Tour de France, used the race in the home country of four-time champion Tadej Pogacar to sharpen his form. Pogacar skipped the event, opting for the Tour de Suisse. Lipowitz's solo moves on the climbs echoed the Slovenian star's style and drew attention from the peloton.

There are still two weeks. I will recuperate a little now. The Tour is a special race. The form is good.

Team supremacy

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe overwhelmed the field all week. The German squad collected four stage wins (Laurence Pithie on stages 1 and 3, Lipowitz on stages 4 and 5) and three one-two finishes. In the final general classification, Lipowitz topped teammate Giulio Pellizzari by 42 seconds, with Bahrain Victorious rider Jakob Omrzel third at 2 minutes and 6 seconds. Lipowitz also claimed the mountains jersey.

Looking ahead to the Tour

Lipowitz will share leadership duties with Remco Evenepoel when the Tour de France begins in Barcelona on 4 July. The Slovenian triumph, his third career stage-race win after the Czech Tour (2023) and Sibiu Tour (2024), provides a confidence boost, though he still lacks a victory at World Tour level. The introverted rider from Ulm prefers to stay out of the spotlight, a tactic that helped him reach the podium in Paris last year.