"When I see the form he's in..." - Tadej Pogacar's two right-hand men on how to set up Roubaix
Cycling
UAE Team Emirates - XRG have a very strong team into Paris-Roubaix and in Tadej Pogacar have one of the absolute contenders for victory. In the French monument he is joined by Florian Vermeersch and Nils Politt, two men who have previously been close to victory, who are not tasked with supporting the World Champion's ambitions for victory.
"All the reconnaissance was done during the winter and even before that. It was already an enormous goal before he won Milan-Sanremo," Florian Vermeersch told IDLProCycling. The Belgian has had an incredible spring and in Flanders he finished within the best. In Roubaix, where he was second in 2021, the flat sectors suit him much better and after last year's fifth place, he can finish within the podium realistically.
"But of course there is a bit of extra pressure now. Fortunately, that pressure isn't on me," he joked, as Tadej Pogacar is the one whose eyes are on. "When I see the form he's in. But of course, if there's one race on the calendar where so much can happen and so much bad luck is involved, it's Roubaix. Creating a situation where he can fight for the win — that's the most important thing".
Vermeersch willing to sacrifice himself
But they face an historical challenger in three-time winner Mathieu van der Poel, a premier bike handler, besides classics extraordinaire. "On flat cobbles, it's harder to ride someone off your wheel. Someone like Mathieu, with so many qualities — that's perhaps the most difficult challenge, yes. There are no uphill sections here. It's all about absolute power," Vermeersch points out. "That's why I think it's crucial to make it a hard race. We need to arrive in the finale with as much fatigue in everyone's legs as possible."
The plan is clear, and similar to that of the Tour of Flanders, where the team managed to successfully create enough damage before Tadej Pogacar launched the decisive attacks in the final hour of the race. Here chaos is constant, however the Belgian doesn't underestimate the importance of the Trouée d'Arenberg.
"That is a key moment in the race every year, where positioning is crucial. Last year the race was blown apart there too, and the riders who were on the wrong side of the split never got back into the race. I think that could well be the case again this year".
Vermeersch hasn't been silent on his ambitions during the spring and also proved to have the legs to chase them in Roubaix, but he knows that in Pogacar's team there is a hierarchy. "If I need to help Tadej and sacrifice my own chances of a podium in the process, I won't say no," he confirms. "The Tour of Flanders showed that once I've done my job and find my legs again, I can still ride to a result. I'm hoping for a bit of that tomorrow too."
Nils Politt confident in his leader
Whilst Politt hasn't had a leading status throughout this spring, in a race like Roubaix it's impossible to overlook the importance of the German heavyweight, a rouleur by excellence, who thrives in the high-speed races. He has plenty experience in Roubaix, not only participating, bu in racing for victory, something Pogacar needs from his teammates.
"I've been here plenty of times and I've also been on the podium and finished in the top ten. Roubaix always has something special about it. You never know what can happen. There could be a crash, you could puncture at the worst possible moment," he warns.
And in Pogacar, he is quite confident, after the spring that the Emirati team's leader has been having. "He looks good, as we saw. He started three races and won all three, so he's definitely in excellent shape."
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
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
Loading
Write a comment