Four wins: Pogacar storms to overall victory

Tadej Pogacar secured the overall victory at the Tour de Romandie on Sunday afternoon. Florian Lipowitz, his only challenger, was denied victory even on the final stage.

03 May 2026

From: dpa

On the fifth and final stage, Lipowitz attacked several times on the more than 14-kilometer final climb to the mountain finish in Leysin, but couldn't shake off Pogacar. At the end of the 178,2 kilometers, Pogacar, competing in western Switzerland for the first time, celebrated his fourth stage victory.

"That was a tough day. Florian attacked first and did a really good job. He opened the sprint quite early and it was a battle right to the finish line," said Pogacar.

A duel is brewing at the Tour de France

In the overall standings, Lipowitz finished 42 seconds behind Pogacar. He distanced third-placed French climbing specialist Lenny Martinez by 2:02 minutes. After finishing third in the Volta a Catalunya and second in the Basque Country Tour, the Red Bull rider has now finished on the podium in his third stage race this year.

Florian Lipowitz and Tadej Pogacar shaking hands. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Despite being outmatched by Pogacar, Lipowitz showed significant improvement in preparation for the Tour de France. In the spring, he had struggled with infections and, despite some good results, his form wasn't yet where he wanted it to be. In French-speaking Switzerland, Lipowitz appeared much more solid.

Lipowitz is supposed to share the captaincy with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France. However, the Belgian's performances so far have raised doubts as to whether he can even keep up with Lipowitz and the other favorites in the mountains. The Tour de France features five mountain finishes.

Keywords cycling racing bike Tour of Romandie Tadej pogacar Florian Lipowitz