"That was the only way for Tadej to win" - Pogacar's right-hand man at Paris-Roubaix tells the team's plan
Cycling
UAE Team Emirates - XRG had a plan to win Paris-Roubaix and it looked to be well on its way until 120 kilometers to go. Florian Vermeersch details it, as well as the brief moments in which he helped Tadej Pogacar and how he reacted to the victory of Wout Van Aert.
"Up until the moment Tadej got a puncture, it was actually the perfect plan," Vermeersch said in the Vals Plat podcast. UAE had been working hard for the early cobbled sectors, fatiguing the peloton and also reducing it considerably. "Because of that, positioning was already a bit less difficult. You could also feel that there was a bit more fatigue in the peloton. He got a puncture and I had to stay in the group, to play a bit of a watchdog."
Mikkel Bjerg described how the team had no radio contact with the car and that delayed the decision-making with the team. Eventually he, Nils Politt and António Morgado moved back to help the World Champion's comeback to the peloton, but Vermeersch did not. The connection was made right before the Trouée d'Arenberg where he positioned Pogacar near the front.
"Then we could turn up in fourth and sixth place. That was perfect too. Up to five hundred meters from the Forest, it was actually still the perfect scenario, because I had always been among the first eight or nine who rode away."
All plans change on the Arenberg
The most notable incident on the Trouée d'Arenberg was the crash of Mathieu van der Poel. However in the first five-star sector of the race, the Belgian went down, ending his race. "From there, we were going to ride the final part. I won't say what my role in that would have been, but the intention was to make the race as hard as possible. It is a shame that I wasn't there. Tadej automatically had to do even more work as well, so that is a bit of a snowball effect".
It was a nightmare scenario, with the Emirati team's leader fully isolated with over 90 kilometers to go, with the whole team being burned in the space of 30 kilometers due to the mishap. This followed an hour of racing in which everything was going to plan.
"We didn't want to get caught up in the breakaway and we were just going to set a super hard pace right from the first section. There was a change to the course this year, as it included two tricky sections where the wind came from the side and from behind".
UAE were executing their plan well, and ultimately, the idea was to burn through men until the Arenberg where the race would truly explode - but through the actions of Pogacar. The fatigue method, as was the case in the Tour of Flanders, was UAE's path to try and win the French race.
"To get everyone to the Trouée d'Arenberg as tired as possible. In our view, that was the only way for Tadej to win, to make everyone as tired as possible. If a fresh Van der Poel goes into the forest, it becomes very difficult".
However the energy he burned in the chase and the absence of Vermeersch or Nils Politt meant the Slovenian couldn't make the difference later when it mattered the most against Wout Van Aert.
"Initially, of course, I was rooting for Tadej. I find it a pity that he didn't win, but I also begrudge Wout nothing," Vermeersch says of his friend. "We get along well and I am happy for him that he was able to achieve the big goal of his career".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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