"There is no support from the cycling federation" - Gravel world champion has to cover all expenses to defend his crown in Australia
Gravel
The 2026 Gravel World Championships have quite the special venue - Nannup, Australia. While undeniable a fascinating scene to witness the rainbow race battle, it brings an extra challenge to the organizational aspect for all partcipants. And not even the defending world champion Florian Vermeersch is exempt from the extra complications.
Part of the world's best road cycling team, Florian Vermeersch has his work cut out in his regular season, including a number of races to complete before the season finishes. After he's done racing in Canada on Sunday, Vermeersch makes a quick round-trip back to Belgium for GP Wallonie (September 16) and the Flandrien 0.0 Classic (September 19), before taking off for Australia.
Regardless of the outcome, Vermeersch's season doesn't end there. UAE Team Emirates - XRG have given Vermeersch the freedom to pursue his gravel goal, but at the "cost" of being nominated to ride the "unpopular" WorldTour season wrap-up event Tour of Guangxi in China the following week (October 13-18).
Vermeersch on his own
However the busy travelling schedule does not bother Vermeersch in the slightest it appears: "That World Championship is a big goal and Australia will be a fun experience. I've already done my homework," he tells Sporza about the course recon.
There was no other way. The Belgian cycling federation is not as excited about the discipline as to fully cover the expenses of its riders travelling to Australia, leaving everything up to the riders themselves. Or their teams. "After all, it is a trip I have to organize myself. There is no support from the cycling federation."
UAE won't do more than the minimum
However UAE Team Emirates - XRG isn't exactly paying Vermeersch for the adventure either, only going as far as to provide material support. "I race there for the national team. I'm just happy that my team gives me the time and space to do this."
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"I get equipment from my team and I pay for the flights myself, but I am willing to make that investment. That is no problem," he concludes.
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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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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