“This was written in the stars... he's the alpha male among alpha males”: Patrick Lefevere argues Red Bull's Tour de France leadership feud between Evenepoel and Lipowitz was inevitable

Patrick Lefevere believes the friction between Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz at the Tour de France was inevitable, arguing that having two ambitious general classification leaders on the same team was always likely to create tension.

Lefevere admitted in his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad that he was not surprised by the disagreement that emerged after stage 6.

"What did I think when Remco Evenepoel caused a 'stir' at Red Bull? That it took a long time to happen. Sorry, but this was written in the stars. I worked with Remco for seven years, so take it from me: he's the alpha male among alpha males. Me, myself, and I."

He also dismissed the idea that Evenepoel would naturally accept a shared leadership role. "Shared team leader role? Not in his head. If that sounds harsh: show me a team leader - a real team leader -who isn't wired that way."

Lefevere also questioned whether Lipowitz should have been expected to sacrifice his own chances. "Can Remco, who finished third in the 2024 Tour de France, expect a lead-out from Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in the 2025 Tour? Of course, he's free to ask, but whether Lipowitz should agree to it is another matter. In any case, it doesn't seem like the kind of job that suits his strengths."

After stage 6, Evenepoel publicly criticised Lipowitz for not providing the lead-out he had requested, pointing out that he had worked for the German during the Volta a Catalunya earlier this season. Lefevere believes his former rider was keeping score.

"Remco balanced the refused lead-out with the thirty kilometres of lead-out work he'd done for Lipowitz in the Volta a Catalunya. I know him, so I know he does that kind of mental math. In racing, you always give with the expectation of getting something back later, but in this case, one thing is one thing and the other is another. Remco shouldn't have brought that up so explicitly."

He also pointed out that Evenepoel's move to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe inevitably meant giving up the undisputed leadership status he enjoyed at Soudal Quick-Step.

"If you wanted to leave our team for a better salary - and maybe, just maybe, better support - then this is kind of part of the deal. With us, you were always and everywhere the first and only team leader. Not at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. That reality comes with the paycheck."

Lefevere added that it would always be difficult for a German team to sideline one of its own emerging stars. "A German team isn't going to let a German rider who finishes third in the Tour play second fiddle the following year, of course."

He also questioned whether the team had clearly defined the leadership hierarchy before signing Evenepoel. "The timeline of Lipowitz's big breakthrough and Evenepoel's major Red Bull contract is a bit murky, but I assume clear agreements were made. If not: it's their own fault."

Despite the public criticism, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has repeatedly downplayed the incident. CEO Ralph Denk described it as a misunderstanding caused partly by a language barrier and the emotions of racing after more than 180 kilometres in the mountains.

Evenepoel himself confirmed before stage 7 that the matter had already been settled. "Everything has been cleared up," the Belgian said. "It was a moment during the race and we've spoken about it. Now we can move on, everything is in the past."

Teammate Tim van Dijke also stressed that there are no lingering issues within the squad. "Everything has been sorted out," he said. "Those guys talked about it, because if there's one thing we don't need, it's conflict. Remco is just very direct, sometimes that comes out, and that's what happened yesterday. In that respect, he could almost be Dutch."

Van Dijke also preferred to focus on the positives from stage 6, where both leaders looked strong in the Pyrenees. "I saw a super-strong Lipowitz in the mountains, and Remco rode very intelligently. It's good that he finished the Tourmalet with a positive feeling."

As for the battle for the yellow jersey, the Dutchman believes the team's objective remains realistic. "For us, not much has changed. Tadej is simply the best rider in the world right now, maybe ever. We can't change that. We just have to keep giving everything and hopefully finish on the podium in Paris."