Overview
- Florian Lipowitz begins the five-day Slovenia Tour on Wednesday as his last race before the Tour de France to seek a calmer build-up with fewer expectations.
- He arrives off a strong spring with podium finishes in Catalonia, the Basque Country and the Tour de Romandie but is still chasing his first professional stage-race win.
- Organizers set a hilly route without major summit finishes, which Lipowitz and his team view as a tactical, lower-stress tune-up that can sharpen form without peaking too early.
- Key rivals are using different programs: Tadej Pogacar will race the Tour de Suisse, Remco Evenepoel is not competing in a pre-Tour event, and Red Bull team dynamics will influence Lipowitz’s role in July.
- After Slovenia he plans a short break with his partner and then altitude training in Kühtai to finalize his preparation for the Tour de France starting July 4, 2026.