Red Bull cyclist Lipowitz recovering well after collarbone surgery

Day 1 after the horror crash of cycling star Florian Lipowitz (25) at the Tour de France. The best news: the Swabian from Laichingen is reportedly doing better than expected.

Red Bull team boss Ralph Denk (52) spoke on Wednesday before the start of the 17th stage in Chambéry. The entrepreneur from Raubling, Bavaria, said: "We were already joking again, also about his descent times yesterday, because they were really good. They were faster than Paul Seixas, who is a bit younger and perhaps approaches things a bit more ambitiously."

Surgery and Recovery

The broken collarbone sustained by Lipowitz was operated on Tuesday evening in a clinic on Lake Geneva, according to BILD information.

"Our medical team did a phenomenal job. The Red Bull cosmos with its many contacts in the sports world helps there. But he is still in the hospital and will likely spend the coming night there as well. But he is doing well," said Denk.

The last photo before the crash. Minutes later, Florian Lipowitz had a serious accident. Photo: Stephanie Lecocq/REUTERS

The fact that they could already joke gives hope that Lipowitz has processed the shock. His family is with him, as is his girlfriend Antonia Weeger (21), who accompanied him to the X-ray truck at the finish on Tuesday. Weeger is a cyclist herself, riding mountain bikes, and understands the risks of the profession.

Apart from the broken collarbone, Lipowitz has no other serious injuries. Denk noted: "He has skin abrasions, and he was a bit afraid of cleaning the wounds. Anyone who has ever had that knows it hurts."

Denk Sees "No Other Culprit"

The reason Seixas featured in their jokes is that the 19-year-old French talent is one of the riders Lipowitz wanted to beat in the fight for third place. When the accident occurred during the individual time trial on Tuesday from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, Lipowitz had already made up seven seconds on Seixas.

Denk stated: "There was simply a lot of speed involved, and probably too much. I see no other culprit."

Florian Lipowitz slid across the road, lying to the right of the yellow protective padding. Photo: EUROSPORT

Lipowitz was too fast in the fateful right turn — these things happen. But Denk questioned whether the section was adequately secured: "Whether he would have sustained this injury if it had been secured more professionally, who knows. The sidewalk, the padding on the sidewalk: why don't I put it on the edge of the sidewalk? That can definitely be discussed intensively."

He also noted the limited time for course inspection: "If we had gotten more training time on the course, it would at least not have been a disadvantage."

Red Bull Offers Mental Support

Mentally, Lipowitz — considered a quieter member of his profession who has never broadcast his feelings to the world — is receiving help from the team.

"You don't prepare for a Tour de France in two or three weeks; it's many, many months of strategic work, but also of sacrifices. You have to go out, even when the weather is bad. And you have a big goal, and then it breaks from one moment to the next. That is of course mentally tough, but we were joking about that too," said Denk.

When asked what the jokes were about, Denk replied: "That it's part of it. He's not the only great racer this has happened to, and it will go on for him."

If Lipowitz wants it, psychological help is available. Denk confirmed: "We have special departments, like Mental Performance, which will take care of it. You have to give him a feeling that everything is being done."