He helped Pogacar, Del Toro AND McNulty - UAE's busiest rider of 2026 is American and guided the team to multiple wins
Cycling
Kevin Vermaerke is the rider who has raced the most for UAE Team Emirates - XRG in 2026. In his debut season, the American has become a valuable piece for the Emirati team, aiding Tadej Pogacar; racing all-year round, and proving to be a true workhorse.
Vermaerke turned professional in 2021 and was one of Team Picnic PostNL's longest-standing riders throughout the 2020's. After several years with the team - which has, in recent weeks, come under fire - he has signed a three-year deal with UAE Team Emirates - XRG. Without a doubt, a rider whom the team saw potential on.
Prior to this transfer, Vermaerke had best displayed his abilities on the hilly classics. He was, as an under-23 rider, the winner of the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège back in 2019. Whilst he is yet to take his first professional win, his talent hasn't gone unnoticed, as he has finished fourth at the 2024 Clásica San Sebastián; whilst also finishing high on several high-ranking races throughout the years.
The shorter uphill efforts have always been his specialty. For UAE, that was a fitting position, as the team is not only home two two explosive climbing specialists - Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro - but also organize a widespread calendar all throughout the year which has provided most - if not all - of its riders to take victories, and chase individual results of their own.
Kevin Vermaerke was UAE Team Emirates - XRG's rider who started the most races in 2026
Vermaerke proves to be a major workhorse
Throughout his time at Picnic PostNL, Vermaerke had a position where he was often a leader, or had a free role to pursue his results. This would change slightly by joining UAE, the team on the absolute opposite side of the World Tour spectrum. Whilst UAE leads, 2026 Picnic has fallen behind even most ProTeam-level squads.
Vermaerke began his season at the AlUla Tour, where he finished 11th in the overall classification and supported Jan Christen who would go on to win the overall classification. At the UAE Tour, he had the same role for Isaac del Toro - whom he then backed up once again at Tirreno-Adriatico.
At Strade Bianche, Vermaerke supported Tadej Pogacar to victory; which he then did once again at the Tour de Romandie later on in the spring. At O Gran Camiño, he was a key support rider for Adam Yates, who would win the GC there. Inbetween, he would finish 16th at the Trofeo Laigueglia and 14th at Milano-Torino, two races that suited his abilities and in which he did not have to sacrifice himself.
But within the space of four months, Vermaerke would repeatedly support both Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro to conquer some of the team's major goals. His calendar did not include the Ardennes classics, which suited him; but his commitment towards the team's collective goals - and the achievements that came from it - quickly cemented the 26-year old as a trustworthy rider.
Vermaerke close to career-changing victory
The UAE rider once again resumed racing in June and helped Isaac del Toro conquer the overall classification at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Every single one of Isaac del Toro's major wins in the first half of the season saw Vermaerke play a role.
The American rider would then get the chance to conquer the stars and stripes jersey. In Charleston, he was second best. Quinn Simmons was too strong of a rival to beat on that day in late July, but Vermaerke was effectively best of the rest.
He would get a golden set of opportunities at the Tour of Austria a few weeks later. Within the space of five days, he finished second on two occasions, third on one; and was second in the overall classification. Vermaerke earned himself a trip to the podium as the winner of the points classification, but did not manage to take his first pro win. Until this day, he hasn't.
He maintained his strong form continously, racing to eighth place at the Clásica de Ordizia; racing into 13th at the Clásica de Sán Sebastián and then finishing 11th when given his shot at the Circuito de Getxo.
Kevin Vermaerke at the 2026 Vuelta a España
Vermarke gets Grand Tour experience next to Tadej Pogacar
The American would then race the Vuelta a Burgos and net himself a Grand Tour debut for UAE, at the Vuelta a España. His tireless work throughout the year proved that he was a fit to support Tadej Pogacar, a rider the team could rely on.
Before the Slovenian abandoned the race on stage 8, Vermaerke was racing in support of him, and helped him achieve victories in Andorra la Vella and Castelló. There was no doubt that it was a working collaboration, but it ended still during the first week.
Vermaerke found himself featured on no less than seven breakaways from stages 9 to 20, taking full advantage of the freedom he now had as the team no longer had GC ambitions. Whilst the shorter climbs fit him best - his best result was also seventh on the hilly stage 13 - his form heading into the final week was stupendous, as he finished ninth on the Alto de Estepona on stage 19; and was 11th on the horrendously difficult stage 20 which featured almost 5000 meters of climbing.
Read also
Vermaerke raced the World Championships where he then played a supporting role for Brandon McNulty, another UAE teammate, who on this occasion had in Vermaerke the only rider alongside him whom he shared a jersey throughout the whole year.
He ended his season at the Tour de Kyushu where, as one would expect, the team won the overall classification once again - this time around with Ivo Oliveira.
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 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments