“Starting with Tadej means we always race for the win” – Florian Vermeersch ready for key Pogacar support role at Strade Bianche
Cycling
For Florian Vermeersch, lining up alongside Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche leaves little room for ambiguity about the team’s objective.
The Belgian is expected to play a key supporting role for the three-time winner in Tuscany this weekend, helping soften the race on the sterrato sectors before the decisive attacks that have become Pogacar’s trademark.
As Vermeersch put it ahead of the race in comments to Cycling News: “Starting with Tadej means we always race for the win.”
Pogacar’s presence reshapes the race
Few riders have left a mark on Strade Bianche quite like Pogacar in recent seasons. The Slovenian arrives in Siena chasing a potential fourth victory in the race, having already matched the record with three triumphs on the Tuscan white roads.
His dominance has often come through long-range attacks on the gravel sectors that define the race. The Monte Sante Marie section in particular has repeatedly been the launchpad for decisive moves, forcing rivals into a brutal chase across the sterrato.
Despite route changes for the 2026 edition that slightly shorten the race and reduce the total gravel distance, Vermeersch expects the same aggressive racing to unfold. “I haven't looked closely at the parcours, I think it's maybe a little different, but I think the racing will be exactly the same,” he said.
An attritional battle on the white roads
For Vermeersch, the nature of Strade Bianche makes it fundamentally different from the tactical battles that define the Belgian Classics.
Rather than complicated team manoeuvres or late race surprises, the race tends to strip things back to the strongest riders as the gravel sectors take their toll.
“They always get dropped in the back on each section, and then you end up in the final with the 20 or 30 best guys who battle it out for the win,” Vermeersch explained. “So in that regard, it's a much simpler race and tactics have less of an influence than these kinds of events in Belgium.”
The result is often a race defined more by endurance and raw strength than by tactical games.
Tadej Pogacar poses with his roadside monument landmark ahead of Strade Bianche 2026
Vermeersch finding form at the right time
Vermeersch arrives at Strade Bianche after a strong start to the Classics campaign, including an aggressive performance at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
His attack in the decisive phase of that race signalled the form he hopes to carry into the coming weeks of the spring campaign.
“Omloop just gives me a lot of confirmation that I have good legs for the upcoming weeks,” he said. “Now I can be confident that next week, my legs also will be fine.”
A team built for the sterrato
UAE Team Emirates - XRG will once again arrive in Tuscany with one of the strongest squads in the race. Alongside Pogacar and Vermeersch, riders such as Isaac del Toro, Jan Christen, Felix Grossschartner, Florian Vermeersch and Kevin Vermaerke give the team multiple options on the demanding gravel course.
For Vermeersch, that depth is one of the defining characteristics of the team. “I think that is true everywhere. In every race we start, we have a great team,” he said.
And when that team lines up behind Pogacar, the ambition rarely changes.
As Vermeersch summed up ahead of the race in Siena, the approach remains straightforward: when the Slovenian is on the startline, UAE ride with only one goal in mind.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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