Florian Vermeersch delivered a world title for Belgium in the elite men's race Sunday at the UCI Gravel World Championships. It was payback for last year, perhaps, as Mathieu van der Poel won for the Netherlands on Belgian soil in 2024.
But the ride this year for the 26-year-old Belgian was also one of redemption and resolution, unleashing a vicious pace with three other riders after the first 50km and then using a solo effort on the final 20km into Maastricht, Netherlands, for the title.
He finished on the podium with silver in two other appearances at UCI Gravel Worlds. In 2023, he chased but never caught Matej Mohorič (Slovenia), and last year, he rode solo behind the winner Van der Poel for another second place.
However, last year's finish was a silver lining to an otherwise lacklustre season, which began in February with a crash at Vuelta a Murcia, and Vermeersch missed the next four months to recover from a broken femur.
This year, he wanted to prove he belonged at his new trade team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and that he was truly recovered physically, going fifth at Paris-Roubaix, sixth at Bredene Koksijde Classic in the spring and landing on the podium at stage 5 at the Tour of Austria. Saturday ends a two-year dry spell from his last victory as well.
"It was a bit of a mental thing, because I came from my leg fracture last year, and I've done some really nice results this year. And I definitely had a good year. But to win, for me, now it is the end point of the injury, and now hopefully I can continue in winning ways next season.
"Highlight of the season? For sure, the world title is the highest in cycling, if it's gravel or cyclocross or road. A jersey is a jersey," Vermeersch told Cyclingnews and TOUR Magazine in English after the race, sealing his answer with a broad smile.
With only one small group of riders to attempt separation from the elite men's peloton in the first hour of racing, it was 56km into the 181km race where Belgian Floris Van Tricht attacked and Vermeersch tagged on. They were joined by Dutch gravel champion Frits Biesterbos and soon after Nils Politt (Germany). The breakaway by the foursome became the watermark move of the race.
"It was just a moment where my countryman, Floris, attacked. I followed the move. We were three immediately, and I said, 'OK, let's give it a go', and we went. We just went, and we tried to continue to see where we ended up, and they never came back."
The group settled in and kicked up the dust, with no one able to get closer than 30 seconds. Politt was the first to drop away with 70km to go, having to stop to deal with an issue with one cleat on his shoe, and then, another 40km later, Van Tricht dropped back. As the lead duo hit the final 18km toward Maastricht, with several punchy gravel climbs including the Bronsdalweg with pitches of 8%, Vermeersch struck a blow to Biesterbos.
"I just decided to attack on one of the hardest parts of the course, one of the steepest climbs on the course. And I said, 'OK, I'm going to give it my first go here. If it doesn't work out, I'm going to try again on the last steep one.'
"But in the end, I didn't have to do that. I just went all-out to the finish. It was maybe not the easiest way, but definitely the most beautiful."
Vermeersch never let up the gas and floated along the flat crushed gravel of the Groene Loper path to the finish, taking a moment to confirm the biggest win of his career to the TV camera following on a motorbike as he passed the one-kilometre kite.
"Yeah, I looked behind and I didn't see the second guy anymore, so I was pretty sure that it [the win] was in the pocket," he said, proudly wearing his gold medal and champion's jersey.
The victory also marks his first under his two-year contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. While he rode in the nationals colours of Belgium for the UCI Gravel World title, it also counts as a victory under UAE, where 21 riders have contributed to a record 95 wins, and counting.
Vermeersch's contribution to this parade of success came on the heels of Tadej Pogačar dominating Il Lombardia, for a record-breaking fifth time, and he said the two exchanged text messages on Saturday.
"Yeah, I texted him yesterday to congratulate him, but we didn't really talk about cycling much."
Now, like Pogačar, Vermeersch has a rainbow jersey.
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