Two days before the start of the Tour de France, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe co-leaders Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz downplayed the potential for intra-team drama in a pre-race press conference. They were set to share featured rider status at the Tour. They wanted to put a rider on the podium, but either one might end up there, and they could work together to achieve that goal.
It took a week for the vibe to shift.
On Thursday's stage 6, a grueling day in the Pyrenees that featured a trip up and over the Col du Tourmalet before a long grind to the finish, both riders finished 2:57 down on stage winner and race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). After crossing the line in fourth behind Pogačar's teammate Isaac del Toro, Evenepoel openly aired his frustration over Lipowitz not playing a support role in the finale.
"I had asked for a lead-out and I didn't get one," an unhappy Evenepoel told reporters after the finish.
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