Pogacar is not the only UAE victory contender for Paris-Roubaix - "At the time, there was no mention of Tadej wanting to race"

UAE Team Emirates - XRG is a team of much money, and money buys talent. A lot is said of the team's plethora of climbers such as Ayuso, Almeida and Yates who all battle for their leadership opportunities alongside Tadej Pogacar; but in the cobbled classics this is also the case and at Paris-Roubaix Florian Vermeersch is starting as a co-leader.

However despite his teammate being on his debut in the Hell of the North, Vermeersch is not worried that this will hinder him. “That’s not necessary. He’s done two recons of the route and knows the cobbled sectors. Thanks to his experience at the Tour of Flanders, he knows how tense it’s going to be on Sunday," he said in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. Unlike Flanders, this is a race where having other riders from the team attacking can greatly benefit the World Champion.

“Tadej benefits most from teammates who make the race hard. The weather forecast—tailwinds or crosswinds—plays into that. It’s going to be a full day of pushing. At Flanders, the plan was to drop Tadej off at the second Oude Kwaremont, and from there he’d battle it out with Van der Poel. At Roubaix, there’s a good chance we’ll go into the final after the Forest of Arenberg with a group, and it will turn into a tactical fight.”

With Vermeersch, Nils Politt and Mikkel Bjerg as serious classics specialists to watch, UAE has the cards to play, and likely it won't solely rely on Pogacar for a result as was the case last weekend. The lack of climbing and also the weight to remain as stable in the cobbles is an obstacle in his way to victory, but the Belgian also assures that has been tackled:

“The fact that he weighs less than the other favorites hardly matters with 32-millimeter tires. With half a bar less pressure in his tires compared to mine, he won’t be bouncing over the cobbles. But since there’s a lack of climbing kilometers, it’ll be harder to open a gap than in the Tour of Flanders. On flat cobbles, he can’t make the most of his exceptional watts per kilogram.” But Pogacar won't be the sole team leader, as a confident Vermeersch asserts himself as an important contender for a top result.

“In E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem I was allowed to race for myself, but I didn’t take full advantage because I was badly positioned. I was really pissed off because I messed it up myself. The plan was to ride Paris-Roubaix for myself, but at the time, there was no mention of Tadej wanting to race. On Sunday, I’m not the team leader, but I don’t think my chances of winning have gotten any smaller.”

Vermeersch quickly found his ground with UAE and in Flanders he was the last man with Pogacar. Alongside the work he's done for the Slovenian now on several races, he's proven to be a very valuable rider, but not just a domestique. “Don’t get me wrong, Tadej is and remains the priority, but there always needs to be a Plan B. Sporting manager Joxean Matxin has said himself that Roubaix is one hundred percent my kind of race, and that I can win it," he says. "He planted that seed in my mind. When it comes to flat cobbles, I’m convinced there aren’t many riders who can drop me, and that I’m one of the strongest in the peloton".

"Paris-Roubaix isn’t just about riding fast over cobbles, it’s about positioning and daring to ride on the edge of the road, which I manage well as a former cyclocross rider," Vermeersch argues. In 2021, he matched Mathieu van der Poel and Sonny Colbrelli, and only came in behind the Italian on the race's iconic wet edition only four years ago. That was perhaps the highlight of his career, but despite that he is still only 26 years of age, and this spring already he has been looking in top form.

“In terms of wattages, Strade Bianche was the best race I’ve ever done. After 60 kilometers, I started riding at the front and I knew I was making everyone hurt. I kept that up until Sante Marie, where Tadej attacked, and I still managed to finish 18th. People in the team still talk about that performance. I was new and had to prove myself, but I claimed my spot quickly," he concluded.