Florian Vermeersch tames ambitions as he seeks to gain experience this spring: "After all, I'm still young"
Cycling
The young Lotto Soudal rider has had a sharp uprising in the peloton as he stormed to a surprise runner-up place in Paris-Roubaix last year. It is only Florian Vermeersch's second full-season as a professional rider, in the coming months he will be focusing on more modest results and gaining experience.
On an interview with SportVoetbalmagazine Vermeersch has talked about his ambitions coming into the spring after a breakthrough set of performances last year: "I will by no means claim that I will immediately compete for a victory in every classic. That wouldn't be realistic. In the coming years I want to become a top performer in the classics, but in 2022 it is primarily a matter of learning a lot."
"After all, I'm still young and haven't been riding with the pros for long. My ambition for this season is to achieve a top result in the 'smaller' classics, such as Nokere Koerse or the Brede Koksijde Classic," a modest ambition for such a big talent. Vermeersch went on to add, "and to participate in the final in one of the major classics. If that works, I'll call my spring a success."
A product of the Lotto Soudal development ranks, he turned pro halfway through 2020 and quickly had a Top10 GC classification at the BinkBank Tour proving that the potential was very big. Despite missing out on a big result in the spring, the gruesome conditions of Paris-Roubaix played to his strengths as he just narrowly missed out on the win in a sprint with Sonny Colbrelli and Mathieu van der Poel.
He added: "With the U23's it was quite simple: if you were one of the best riders, you were in the front anyway. With the pros you only ride against men who are good."
He mentions that one of his strengths is on the mental side: "It's true that I don't break down easily. In Roubaix I had one bad moment, but I found myself again and came through it completely. It also has to do with the mental. As a cyclist you should never let your head hang... That's a mental barrier that I've already bumped into, but which you have to go through every now and then."
Vermeersch has started his season at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var where he assisted his teammates Caleb Ewan and Tim Wellens to the win. His goals for the coming spring are perhaps surprising taking into attention his talent, but nevertheless he is set to make full cobbled classics campaign which should provide him the opportunities to aim big.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment