"Just being able to say that I raced with Tadej will be special" - UAE rider wants to tell grandkids he rode Grand Tours with Pogacar
CyclingTuesday, 18 August 2026 at 17:00
UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider Kevin Vermaeke thinks that being able to tell his children and grandchildren that he raced alongside Tadej Pogacar makes supporting him in Grand Tours worth the hard work. The American rider has enjoyed multiple opportunities at his new team and is set to take to the start of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday.
Pogacar is favourite to add to his mistory-making Tour de France win last month by taking the Vuelta crown. If he is to do so, he will join an elite club of riders to have won the general classification of three Grand Tours after the Tour and Giro d'Italia.
For Vermaeke, he highlighted just what makes the Slovenian so special, claiming that his calmness inspires his teammates to excel in support of him, controlling races before Pogacar attacks to finish the job on multiple occasions each season.
“Tadej’s calmness just gives you the extra strength to do your job even more,” Vermaerke told Domestique. “Romandie was a good example because I was sick for a week before the race and I didn’t ride the bike.
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"If I had gone to that race with any other team, it would have just been a case of getting around and suffering through it. But knowing I was riding with him allowed me to get so much more out of myself.
He added: “Obviously he has the level to just back it up, but I think he just has a very calm energy in how he goes about things, everybody around him feeds off that. And then he also just knows how to give a little word of encouragement here or there, especially after a race."
Working for Pogacar is not like sacrificing your chances for a middle-of-the-pack contender. Vermaerke puts it best: working for Pogacar helps riders feel included in his success.
“I’ve been on some teams in previous years where we weren’t even riding for the win, but maybe just to protect a top 10 on GC or something. You sacrifice a race for a team leader and there’s not too much thanks given out afterwards, so you kind of feel like, ‘Man, I sacrificed my race.’ But with Tadej, when he wins the race, he makes everybody feel like they played a part in it, from the mechanics to the soigneurs to his teammates.
“That’s one of his superpowers, how motivating he can be. He really makes you feel like you’re contributing to his success, and I think that’s something really special.”
Kevin Vermaerke
Something to tell the grandkids
Looking ahead, it's all worth it for Vermaerke. Labelling the opportunity to race a Grand Tour with Pogacar as 'once in a lifetime', he wants to hep deliver a GC victory beginning with Saturday's opening stage in Monaco.
“In 30 years, on the couch with my grandkids, just being able to say that I raced with Tadej will be special. Only a very select few have done a Grand Tour with him, and that’s something that I don’t take lightly. It gives me a lot of pride.
“There is a level of stress and nerves that you get that maybe you wouldn’t get otherwise when you go to a Grand Tour with Tadej, but I’m conscious of that and I won’t just let it slip by. I’ll really take a minute to enjoy it, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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