Gianni Vermeersch grabs his first cross podium since 2020: "Last year it was an effort to reach the top 15. That's a good promise"
Cyclocross
In Loenhout, Gianni Vermeersch was the closest pursuer of his teammate Mathieu van der Poel. The 31-year-old Vermeersch secured his first cross podium since Otegem in 2020.
"Crossing is mainly a method to keep myself busy in the winter," says Vermeersch afterwards. "It's not that I have a lot of ambition, or start with a specific goal. But when you are at the start, you also try to get the most out of it. Last year it was an effort to reach the top 15, this year it was a podium finish. That's a good promise."
Vermeersch took a different approach. "I still almost always train on the road, but I have already attended the team's Wednesday training three or four times. That is now paying off. Last year I didn't do that at all, and then I noticed that I was technically a disaster. While I already felt from the first cross in Herentals that I am technically much better than then. The condition is also very good."
The Belgian's goals are already clear on the road. "I have a lot of ambition. Last year it was a very nice spring with the team, we hope to achieve that again. But hopefully also with a result for myself. I ride for Mathieu in most races, but not all. Maybe I can grab a chance few times."

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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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
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