As he continues his battle for a top spot in the Tour de France general classification, Remco Evenepoel has acknowledged that the no-holds-barred duel between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar is working in his favor.

The Belgian, third last year, is currently 1:29 behind yellow jersey Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), 1 minute behind Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) but 27 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).

"It's good for us that they're focusing on each other and not on me," Evenepoel said in his press conference on the day off. "I think I'll let them play their game."

The Belgian champion emphasized how the aggressive nature of the battle between Visma and UAE could lead to the Dutch team imploding if Pogačar were to land a decisive blow: "If you look at the tactics they used with Jonas and Roglič, it's exactly the same with Pogačar. But if Jonas attacks once and Pogi counterattacks, we all know how explosive Tadej's attacks are. If he drops him, their tactics will have been useless."

At just 25 years old, Evenepoel is competing in his second Tour de France and the sixth Grand Tour of his career. His experience last July, with a third-place finish, a stage win, and the white jersey, is helping him greatly in the 2025 edition.

Regarding his future, Evenepoel neither ruled out nor confirmed his continued stay with Soudal-QuickStep after 2025, stating that "2026 is still a long way off." For now, his focus is entirely on the French race, where he can capitalize on the rivalry between the two big favorites to aim for the final podium.