The 2026 road season will start later than expected for Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian will only pin on a number for the first time on March 7 at the Strade Bianche where the Slovenian aims for a fourth title, third in a row. The goal at UAE Team Emirates - XRG is to keep him as fresh as possible for the spring Monuments: Milano–Sanremo, Tour of Flandres, Paris–Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
As is well known, the two-time world champion wants to win them all, so Sanremo and Roubaix are circled in red before the Tour de France. That does not mean he will underplay the other two. In fact, one of UAE’s best domestiques will feature in three of the team’s four Monument line-ups: Florian Vermeersch.
In 2025, Vermeersch completed his first year in the UAE Team Emirates - XRG jersey. He was key for Tadej Pogacar at the Tour des Flandres and Paris–Roubaix, finishing 5th in the Hell of the North. In 2026, his added target will be Milano–Sanremo.
At La Primavera, UAE’s plan is well defined. It will mirror 2025, setting up Pogacar’s explosive attack on the Cipressa. However, that edition was derailed by an Isaac del Toro positioning error, which prevented the Emirati squad’s decisive move from unfolding as planned and allowed Mathieu van der Poel to hold Pogacar’s wheel.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG selecting Florian Vermeersch for three of Pogacar’s biggest targets underlines how reliable the 26-year-old is as the Slovenian’s right-hand man. And he can deliver results himself. To the mentioned 5th in Paris–Roubaix he added the Gravel World title he won in October.
Florian Vermeersch will ride Milano–Sanremo, Tour des Flandres and Paris–Roubaix in 2026
For now, the five riders confirmed by UAE Team Emirates XRG for Milano–Sanremo are:
- Tadej Pogacar
- Florian Vermeersch
- Tim Wellens
- Isaac del Toro
- Domen Novak
Vermeersch, a Roubaix contender?
Leaving Milano-Sanremo without the win would be a tough blow for the team and for Tadej Pogacar himself. But the racing will stay intense in the following weeks, and Florian Vermeersch will need to hold his level for Flanders and Roubaix.
In the first of those, Pogacar is clearly UAE Team Emirates - XRG’s lone leader as a two-time champion, but watch out for Paris–Roubaix. In the Hell of the North, although the Slovenian was 2nd last year, Vermeersch made it clear that if he sees a chance to fight for the win, he will take it without fear, even if Pogacar is among the other contenders.
"I think Tadej would also want me to win," Florian Vermeersch stated firmly. "Of course, I’m not going to stand in his way. First of all, I don’t have the character or the status for that. I’m not worried about him starting there as well. But we have a good relationship and I think he would also allow me to win Paris–Roubaix."
"I still believe there will be situations in which we can complement each other a lot. The most important thing is that we allow each other to win," he added about their ambitions in perhaps the toughest Monument of all.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
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