"The end of a long comeback" - Florian Vermeersch on breakthrough world title on the gravel

Florian Vermeersch is one of UAE Team Emirates - XRG's incredibly strong riders, but is one who's struggled to get his breakthrough win. Although it hasn't come on the road, the Belgian may have finally reached this achievement today with a victory at the Gravel World Championships.

"Unbelievable... I haven't fully grasped it yet. That's why it's not just about this race, it's more the end of a long comeback. Winning here after two disappointments is a dream come true," Vermeersch said in words to Sporza. "I've had a difficult season after breaking my leg last year. This is the culmination of that period. I have to thank everyone for making this comeback possible."

This is a race where chaos rules due to the many off-road sectors and explosive terrain throughout 180 kilometers. But luck was on the side of the Belgian today when it mattered. "My start was tumultuous. After 10 kilometers, I punctured and had to quickly plug away. 20 kilometers later, I was able to rejoin the peloton. After that, I chose my moment to break away. As soon as we were in a group, I knew: now it's going to be a full-on ride to the finish."

Together with a relatively unknown rider, Frits Biesterbos of the Dutch team, the two carved away a gap that became impossible to close later. Endurance and raw watts earned Vermeersch a victory later on as he managed to drop his rival and withstand the gap closing from behind by Matej Mohoric. 

"Someone said: just try winning a race. The level here is incredibly high. It was one of the toughest races I've ever ridden," he admits, but also potentially his biggest win ever. "Hats off to Biesterbos, because we were in the attack all day. He hung around for a long time, so I got worried for a moment."