The 25-year-old rouleur Florian Vermeersch agreed to join forces with UAE Team Emirates for next two seasons. 2025 will thus be the first time in the Belgian's career that he'll wear different than Lotto jersey, having raced for its development structure in 2020 and moving over to the main team a year later.
With a second place from the legendary rainy Paris-Roubaix 2021 and strong results from gravel including another runner-up at the World championships last year, it's not hard to see where Vermeersch's strengths are.
While UAE Team Emirates are undoubtedly the overlords of this season, if there is area(s) where they're lacking, it'd be at the cobbled classics and sprints. The latter doesn't seem to bother management too much, but on cobbles, they'd like to build a team strong enough to lead their star Tadej Pogacar to more glorious victories such as that at the Tour of Flanders 2023.
"I’m very happy and honoured to join the team next year," Vermeersch shared in press release. "It’s an pleasure to be part of the best team in the pro peloton. From my side I would say it’s a bit of a dream come true. I’m also happy and very relieved that despite my big crash and injury at the start of the year the team gave me the full confidence and believed in my strengths. I’m looking forward to meeting all the riders and staff and hopefully we can have an awesome few years together and share some nice moments."
UAE Team Emirates CEO Mauro Gianetti adds: "We are very pleased to welcome Florian into the team. He has proven pedigree as a very strong rider and will bolster our classics team as well as our stage racing squad. We hope for many good years working together."
This is already a second signing of this transfer window for UAE Team Emirates who have previously announced the arrival of Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez on a two-year deal.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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We‘re delighted to announce the signing of @FlorianVermeers 🇧🇪 on a two-year deal! ✍️🤩 Welcome, Florian! 🔥 Full story: uaeteamemirates.com/florian-vermee… #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
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