VIDEO | Not only Mathieu van der Poel was unlucky in Arenberg - High-speed crash ended Florian Vermeersch's race
Cycling
The Trouée d'Arenberg makes plenty victims every year, ones due to punctures and mechanicals, others due to crashes. Whilst the TV broadcast didn't capture crashes amongst the big favourites, they did happen. Florian Vermeersch's race ended on the mythical five-star sector.
Arenberg does not open up the action in Roubaix but it is the first of three five-star sectors, the most important in the race, and the brutality of its cobbles means the leaders fight to be in the head of the peloton, not in the slipstream.
Hence we will often see the main favourites right at the head of affairs, which is seen in the spectator clip that has been circling around social media which captures a key moment in the race. Wout Van Aert leads the way followed by Mick van Dijke, Tadej Pogacar and Mads Pedersen. Mathieu van der Poel is already notably behind due to his puncture.
Florian Vermeersch crashed hard today 🥲
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) April 12, 2026
🎥: portufabio pic.twitter.com/v5XgicUDcA
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Tadej Pogacar raced without his top domestique
The spectator was positioned on the ideal location to capture the unlucky Florian Vermeersch, right-hand man of Tadej Pogacar, who punctured and crashed on the sector. Jasper Stuyven, eventual third, miraculously avoided the fall right behind.
Vermeersch ultimately never got back to the front and also did not finish the race, ultimately having very little effect on Tadej Pogacar's race. The Emirati leader was isolated from this moment onwards and did not have the legs to drop Wout Van Aert, whilst he also did not have a teammate who could help in a more tactical race. After the performances he had put on this spring, the Belgian - in this position - could've been in the fight for the win and changed the entire outcome of the race.
It was not the ideal way for Pogacar or Vermeersch to end their spring campaign as they missed out on the win, in a race that was marked by the mistimed incidents for the team.
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)...
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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