A German debutant is increasingly coming into the spotlight at the Tour de France.

A Tour de France debutant and already a contender for the podium in Paris: Germany's hopeful Florian Lipowitz impressed the cycling world with his third place on the first high-altitude stage in the Pyrenees. The 24-year-old Swabian received the highest compliment for his performance from the Tour's dominant rider himself. "I think we'll see a lot more from him in the coming days and years," predicted Tadej Pogacar, who stormed back into the yellow jersey in unparalleled fashion with his victory on the 12th stage.

Things couldn't be going better for Lipowitz at the first Tour de France. The goal set by his German racing team, Red Bull, of having a rider on the podium in Paris is taking shape after the convincing climb up to Hautacam. In the overall standings, Lipowitz climbed from eighth to fourth place. Third place is already within sight – he's just 49 seconds behind Belgian double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.

Lipowitz can take his next big step into the spotlight today on Stage 13. The short but extremely tough 10.9-kilometer mountain time trial from Loudenvielle up to the small airfield near Peyragudes is just what he likes: "Short and super tough. We hope it continues like this." Lipowitz had already finished a strong sixth in the Tour's first time trial.

Lipowitz appears to be on the verge of replacing the experienced captain, Primoz Roglic. His boss, Ralph Denk, certainly sees a clear trend: "He's probably the better one," he said after his young rider's brilliant performance in Hautacam. "The time trial will most likely be a good race." While he believes the podium finish won't be decided until Saturday's stage or later in the Alps, things are looking pretty good for now. Until then, the motto is: "Stay healthy, and it's possible."