Florian Vermeersch ends long comeback with emotional Gravel World Championship victory

“Incredible… I still can’t quite believe it,” Vermeersch said after his win to Sporza. “It’s not only about this race. It’s the end of a long comeback. To win here after two disappointments feels like a dream come true.”

Vermeersch broke his femur at the start of 2024, an injury that derailed his momentum and tested his patience. “I’ve had a difficult season after the fracture last year,” he said. “This victory is the final piece of that recovery. I have to thank everyone who helped me get back here.”

The race itself was far from easy, even if Vermeersch made it look effortless at times. “It was one of the toughest races I’ve ever done,” he admitted. “My start was chaotic, after ten kilometres I punctured and had to fix it quickly. Twenty kilometres later, I managed to rejoin the peloton, and from then I picked my moment to attack. Once we were in a small group, I knew it was all or nothing to the finish.”

That group included Dutch national gravel champion Frits Biesterbos, who pushed Vermeersch all the way. “Chapeau to Biesterbos,” Vermeersch said. “We were in the break all day, and he kept hanging on for so long that I started to get worried. Someone told me, ‘Now you just have to win one.’ The level here is incredibly high, and today I finally did it.”

Smiling through disbelief, Vermeersch looked down at his rainbow jersey. “They won’t be taking this one away from me,” he said.

His UAE teammate Tim Wellens was quick to praise the new world champion. “We said before the start that we had to bring this jersey home as a team, so mission accomplished,” Wellens laughed. “For me, the strongest rider in the race won today. He’s worked so hard for this, and it’s fully deserved.”