WorldTour
Tour de Romandie: Second Stage, Second Place, Second Overall
Florian Lipowitz used the second day of the Tour de Romandie to make a clear statement for the week ahead.
The prologue had already gone according to plan for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. The goal was to keep the GC riders within striking distance of the favorites – and that’s exactly what they achieved. Primož Roglič, Finn Fisher-Black and Florian Lipowitz finished 8th, 9th and 10th, conceding only a few seconds to Tadej Pogačar.
This set the stage for the first road stage – and defined the challenge ahead. The final climb to Ovronnaz, just under nine kilometers at an average gradient of 10 percent, is one of the toughest ascents of the race. It was clear beforehand that this climb would play a key role in shaping the general classification.
Tour de Romandie 2026
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Ovronnaz selection decides stage
As expected, the race split on the climb. Tadej Pogačar, Lenny Martinez and Florian Lipowitz first crested the summit as a trio, before Nordhagen bridged across on the descent. The quartet then continued together over the final 20 flat kilometers to Martigny, where the stage was decided in a sprint. Florian Lipowitz was only beaten by Pogačar and secured second place, moving up to second overall in the general classification.
Florian Lipowitz sprints to second
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Primož Roglič and Luke Tuckwell finished around 20 seconds later with the chasing group and now sit 6th and 10th overall. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe also takes the lead in the team classification.
Luke Tuckwell after the stage: “It was a super tough day. The early circuits already put a lot of fatigue into the legs. The climb was super long and steep – it just never ending. In the end, it was a really strong team performance.”
Sports Director Patxi Villa added: “Besides Florian’s second place, it was a very good team performance overall. Primož and Luke were in the second group, and we used our tactical advantage well in the final part.”
Teamwork at the Tour de Romandie
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