Tour de France: Lipowitz crashes out, Evenepoel wins time trial

Florian Lipowitz's Tour de France ended abruptly after a high-risk crash during the individual time trial, forcing the German cyclist to abandon the race. The 25-year-old was seen getting into an ambulance, holding his arm, eight kilometers from the finish line.

Remco Evenepoel, Lipowitz's teammate and the stage winner, expressed concern after the race. "I heard that Florian crashed. That casts a shadow over the whole thing. I wish him a speedy recovery," Evenepoel said. The Belgian Olympic champion finished the 26.1-kilometer stage 28 seconds faster than overall leader Tadej Pogacar. Despite Evenepoel's stage win, Pogacar continues to lead the general classification by a comfortable 4 minutes and 32 seconds, with Isaac del Toro in third place.

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I heard that Florian crashed. That casts a shadow over the whole thing. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Lipowitz's withdrawal marks the second major favorite to exit the race after Jonas Vingegaard. The German rider had achieved a surprising third place overall in last year's Tour. Evenepoel, who started as a co-leader with Lipowitz, has emerged as the stronger rider. His victory came after a period of criticism directed at Lipowitz following a difficult stage in the Pyrenees, though the team had publicly maintained a positive relationship between the two.

Adding to the team's eventful day, all eight riders from the Red Bull team underwent doping controls late in the evening. A team spokesperson confirmed the checks, which occurred around 10 p.m. These controls were distinct from the controversial late-night checks experienced by Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. "It's within limits. I was checked at 10:30 p.m. That's better than 2 a.m.," said teammate Nico Denz, describing the process as professional. Meanwhile, Pogacar's teammate Brandon McNulty was involved in a minor incident before the stage, reportedly colliding with a car.

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It's within limits. I was checked at 10:30 p.m. That's better than 2 a.m. They were there with three or four men. It was quite quick, they did it professionally.