Tadej Pogacar already knows who will be his right-hand man through most of the Classics

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.

For now, the five riders confirmed by UAE Team Emirates XRG for Milano–Sanremo are:

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.