A special taste for Florian Vermeersch's first pro win: "I’m looking forward to what’s to come"

Florian Vermeersch had announced himself very fast as one of the upcoming northern classics talents in the peloton as he sprinted to second place at Paris-Roubaix last year, and this Sunday the 23-year old Lotto Soudal rider managed to take his first pro win at the tricky and chaotic Antwer Port Epic.

“I can’t really believe it yet that I won my first pro race. The plan was to open the race quite early and make it a hard day on the bike. That worked out pretty well because it was a real battle of attrition," Vermeersch said at the finish. The Belgian race was an important goal for Lotto Soudal who are seeking every possible point to remain at World Tour level, and the Ghent native put on a very strong ride to raise his arms in glory for the first time since becoming a professional at the end of 2020.

This was a strong team performance today because with five Lotto Soudal riders in the peloton, we had the race well under control... The technical nature, unpaved roads, cobbles and long efforts during this Antwerp Port Epic suited me to the ground," he said. Having made the decisive selection, he then had the killer instinct to make the decisive move inside the final kilometers to solo to a strong win. "...In the end, I made the right decision, tried to surprise and could create a gap. From three kilometres to the finish, it really was a man-to-man battle. I’m really glad I could hold it until the end. However I had to keep pushing and only at about fifty metres from the finish I was sure of winning," he added.

“This first pro victory obviously gives me a wonderful feeling. After a disappointing spring and the bad luck I had to deal with, this victory is very satisfying. Last week I was also in a good position during Tro Bro Léon but had bad luck. Today I was able to finish it off and it’s always nice to reward the team’s confidence with a victory. I’m looking forward to what’s to come," Vermeersch concluded.