Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar said on Thursday that his rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard is pushing both riders "to new heights".
The pair have won the last six editions of the Tour de France between them, and have finished first and second in each of the last five – something which had never happened before.
Slovenian Pogacar has four Tour wins to Vingegaard's two but the Dane has won all three of cycling's Grand Tours following his Giro d'Italia victory in May.
World champion Pogacar has yet to win the Vuelta a Espana, where he finished third in his only appearance in 2019.
And the 27-year-old insisted that the Tour is not going to be a straight fight between him and Vingegaard, 29, pointing to his own UEA Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro as a potential challenger.
"I don't think that he's the only one that can come close," Pogacar said about Vingegaard.
"I think that there are quite a few guys here that can aim for the victory, right next to me," he added at Thursday's pre-Tour press conference, indicating Mexican Del Toro.
"But the competition between me and Jonas, of course, the last few years was spectacular.
"And I think it will continue for a few more years, I hope. We will see.
"I think we push each other to the new heights every year. So we will see how far we go this year."
'BETTER AND STRONGER'
Although Vingegaard has beaten Pogacar at the Tour twice – in 2022 and 2023 – the general feeling is that the Slovenian has stepped up a level since then.
He is aiming for a record-equalling fifth Tour triumph this year.
But Visma-Lease a Bike leader Vingegaard said that his preparation for the Tour has gone as well as he could have hoped for.
He has started three stage races this year, winning all three.
"Both better and stronger," he said when asked how he felt.
"I would even say more happy in a mental state also.
"I've had a very good year so far this year and I've enjoyed riding a bit more this year than I did last year."
Success breeds confidence, particularly in Vingegaard's case.
The 12 wins he has had already this season is double the number he managed in the whole of 2025.
"On one hand, of course I had a very good season so far already with the three races I've done," he said.
"Of course it takes some pressure off me and off the team, but the Tour de France is still the biggest race.
"It's still the race you really want to win."
And in that, he knows there is one man better than him, although he has the assurance that he is the only rider to have ever beaten Pogacar at the Tour.
"I still think that Tadej is probably the best rider who has ever been in a bunch," said Vingegaard.
"It's something that I'm extremely proud of (having beaten him) and also gives me motivation to try to do it again and to try to do it this year.
"To also give the confidence that I am one of the guys who can actually challenge him."