'Not wise to air grievances in media' - Vermeersch on Ayuso-UAE conflict
UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider Florian Vermeersch has criticised the public nature of the ongoing dispute between his teammate Juan Ayuso and team management, suggesting internal discussions would have been more appropriate.
"It's not wise to air grievances in the media," Vermeersch told Sporza before the second stage of the Tour of Britain in Stowmarket "I don't know Juan very well, we don't race together often. I've only seen him during training camp in December. However, the current situation is unfortunate. It's always better to resolve issues internally."
The comments come during a period of reported tension at UAE Team Emirates regarding Ayuso's future with the squad, where it was confirmed on Monday that Ayuso's lengthy contract will be mutually terminated at the end of the 2025 season.
The Belgian rider, who is in his first year of UAE colours, directly challenged Ayuso's characterisation of the team environment, in which the Spaniard compared the team environment to a 'dictatorship.' "Claiming there is a dictatorship at UAE seems exaggerated. That is not my experience at all."
Vermeersch is currently focusing on his preparation for his debut at the World Championships in Rwanda, where he will support former world champion, Belgian captain Remco Evenepoel. When questioned about potentially competing against his UAE teammate Tadej Pogacar at the Worlds, he laughed and acknowledged, "That question will come up often."
Racing in the Tour of Britain at the moment, Vermeersch also expressed his personal desire to secure a victory, having won one professional race in his career, back in 2022 at the Antwerp Port Epic.
Regarding his chances of success, "It won't be easy here because the competition is tough, and I'm not the fastest finisher, so I'll have to approach it differently," he explained. "I've been in many finals, but winning is a different story. The races that suit me best are often the hardest to win, with many contenders." With the majority of the parcours consisting of pure sprint stages and reduced bunch scenarios, it could be a tough ask for Vermeersch to achieve.
Vermeersch has come up just short in a number of races throughout his career, including two top-five finishes in Paris-Roubaix, where the Belgian finished 2nd in 2021 and 5th in 2025, respectively.
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