"I wouldn't mind going down in history as a very good helper of Tadej" - Florian Vermeersch excited to witness history being written first-hand

Tadej Pogacar had absolutely no mercy with his opponents at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and successfully defended his title from year ago. What's so special about this victory? Pogacar now trails only behind Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck when it comes to number of Monuments won.

His UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates once again did a great job to set up the Slovenian's attack on La Redoute. And when the decisive moment arrived, nobody in the peloton could respond. Florian Vermeersch was watching the race from team bus at that point since his work was done long ago.

"I didn't have the best legs myself, but the team won and that's the most important thing," Vermeersch said to Wieler Revue among others after Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "I had hoped to be a bit better. It's just been a long spring and after Paris-Roubaix I got sick. Maybe my body had a bit of trouble recovering. But I had a nice spring."

"After victories, Tadej is very grateful, even a little humble. Very cool to see. Nothing is planned for tonight with the team. I'm going home by car and the rest are flying out too. We'll wait for Tadej and then maybe have a beer."

Pogacar's performance in Paris-Roubaix surprised Vermeersch the most in the spring. "If he didn't fall, he'd probably finish with Van der Poel. That's very impressive for his weight. Yes, he might be even better than I thought, but on the other hand, I've been in the peloton for years now, and of course I knew it too."

So it's even more impressive to see Pogacar up close, according to Vermeersch. "In training and in competitions, he sometimes rides with such ease. But he has also shown that he is human, because at Amstel he had to suffer enormously. That he returns like this at Fleche Wallonne and Liège is impressive. Unseen what he can do."

Pogacar has now won nine Monuments and only has Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck ahead of him. "It is difficult for me to compare, but the ease, in quotation marks, with which he rides around is unseen. I would not mind going down in history as a very good helper of Tadej. I am very happy with the role I have now."

During training, Vermeersch sees up close that Pogacar sometimes transcends the sport. "Yes, sometimes I feel like we could use someone from security," he laughs. "Sometimes it's bizarre to see how many fans he has. But that he is already third on the list of most victories in Monuments... He is simply the biggest star in cycling."