Why Red Bull Is Betting Two Tour de France Leaders Are Better Than One

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe has a different idea on how to beat Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France.

Bring two leaders instead of one.

The German squad confirmed Friday that Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz will share leadership at the 2026 Tour de France, making it the only super team openly starting with two GC leaders.

“The Tour is no longer won by an exceptional rider alone, but by an exceptional team,” chief of sport Zak Dempster said. “Their different strengths give us tactical options that could prove decisive.”

UAE has Isaac del Toro, Visma brings Matteo Jorgenson and Decathlon is all-in for Paul Seixas, and everyone knows who those teams are riding for if the maillot jaune is on the line.

Red Bull’s double-leader gamble isn’t just about yellow.

Even if Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard remain the men to beat, the battle for the top-3 has never been more crowded.

Seixas, Del Toro and Juan Ayuso are all coming for the podium.

Red Bull is just making sure it has two cards to play on all fronts.

Red Bull going all-in for podium run

Red Bull is the only Tour favorite openly giving two riders the same shot at the GC.

That can get messy in a hurry. Both hit third in their respective Tour debuts, and want to at least go that far in 2026.

Evenepoel arrives under enormous pressure after his blockbuster transfer to Red Bull and hasn’t raced since April, going all-in on altitude camps to prep for July.

Lipowitz, meanwhile, just keeps delivering, with a string of WorldTour podiums and two stage wins and the GC at the Tour of Slovenia last week.

The question is what happens if both are still in the hunt in the Alps.

Ralph Denk already lit the fuse this week by suggesting the team will let the road decide the hierarchy.

Red Bull arrives with one of the deepest teams in the race, including Jai Hindley, a former Giro winner.

Mattia Cattaneo, Maxim Van Gils, Jan Tratnik, Nico Denz, and Tim van Dijke bring climbing support and power for the flats.

Red Bull left its sprinters Jordi Meeus and Danny Van Poppel at home.

“With this team we have an answer to almost every possible scenario,” said DS Patxi Vila.

After spending millions to build out the team, Red Bull isn’t leaving anything on the table. It’s podium or bust.