After a 2021 season where Florian Vermeersch finished 2nd in Paris-Roubaixand the 2022 and 2023 seasons where he confirmed his potential, the Belgian experienced an extremely complicated 2024 season. A fall last February during the Cycling Tour of the Region of Murcia kept him away from the professional pelotons until June. After seven seasons spent with Lottery Dstnythe 25-year-old Belgian signed with UAE Team Emirateswhere he will notably meet the Slovenian world champion Tadej Pogacar. In an interview given to our colleagues atThe Newspaper, Florian Vermeersch looked back on his difficult 2024 season, his first steps with UAE Team Emiratesand his disappointment at not having been retained by the training of Stéphane Heulot.
Video – Stéphane Heulot at the microphone of Cyclism'Actu!
“UAE Team Emirates? I was quickly convinced of my role within the team.”
“One of the first things I thought after my accident was: 'damn, I'm at the end of my contract'. I was worried that I would have to run in September-October to get a contract. But from March-April, it turned out that many teams were really interested. When I showed the teams how my operation went and what the doctors said, they were all convinced that I would be able to cycle at a high level again. It was the first time for me that I was in the last year of my contract, and I said from the start that I would like to listen to the other teams. I had never done this before. Not that I necessarily want to leave, but if you always stay in your cocoon, you could sometimes make a mistake. UAE Team Emirates' interest quickly became concrete. My agent, Dries Smets from Wasserman, made the first contacts, then we had a video call with Mauro Gianetti (CEO of UAE Team Emirates), and I was pretty quickly convinced of my role within the team .”
He continues, “my role will be quite free in the classics. We don't really have a big leader in the spring, apart from Tadej [Pogacar] if he participates in the Tour of Flanders, and so on. But otherwise we have a large team in which many boys can try their luck. I'm sure I can defend myself against it. The way the team wants to race in the spring suits me perfectly. Maybe next year, but at the moment I can't follow Van der Poel or Van Aert when they make their final acceleration in the final. But if we start running a little earlier, 'anticipating', as they say, that's good for me. I spoke very little with Pogacar. During the team days at the end of October, I got to know everyone. Tim Wellens helped me integrate in his own way (laughs). We spent five days in Abu Dhabi, which was very relaxing for me. As I am not officially part of the team yet, I had no sponsorship obligations. I only participated in team building activities, without having to do anything else,” explains the 25-year-old Belgian
“Disappointed to leave Lotto Dstny”
“It's going to be very strange leaving Lotto Dstny. I made a lot of friends on the team. I knew exactly who to call if something happened. The team no longer held any secrets for me. We were often under the shock together. Cédric Beullens and Brent Van Moer are two of my best friends. We are almost the same age and the same interests. After the season, we go out together, travel together. And listen, Saturday I'm going to Brent's wedding. [Van Moer]. Now I'm leaving them behind, and it's a shame. But this is the world of cycling, I will continue to see them. I have always been treated with great respect and the team has always supported me. But there is one thing that really disappointed me. It's not that the team wanted me to leave, because we had negotiations where they told me they wanted to keep me. But in the end, they didn't offer me anything. In fact, the choice was made for me. That's the only thing that breaks my heart a little, that it happened like this. But look, that’s also the course of things. I can accept it”concludes Florian Vermeersch.
