German cycling star Florian Lipowitz has ended his successful season early as he won’t be taking part in the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday.

“Shortly after Canada, we made the decision to bring the off-season forward by three weeks. Now I can do the things I don’t have time for during the season,” Lipowitz said in a statement published by his Red Bull team on Tuesday.

“And I can feel how good it is to clear my head completely,” he added.

The German failed to cross the finish line in races in Montreal and Quebec last month.

But he had a great season, finishing the Tour of France in third in his debut and also claiming the white jersey for best young rider.

He became the first German to finish on the Tour podium since Andreas Klöden in 2006 and the first German to claim the white jersey since Jan Ullrich in 1998.

“Many moments that are naturally beautiful, but also very unusual. It was only a few weeks ago that I really realized what has actually happened this year,” he said.

“The successes give me the confidence that this is not a coincidence, but that the hard training and the many weeks away from home are paying off.”