‘There are a lot of riders on the street’: Vercouillie forced to drop to Continental level despite breakthrough victory

Victor Vercouillie arrived at the Eneco Tour with modest expectations. Having struggled with illness in the weeks leading up to the race, the Belgian was primarily there to support his teammates. Instead, he left with his first professional victory and a reminder of what he is capable of, even as his future in the sport remains uncertain.

“They saw in my blood I had a viral infection,” Vercouillie told Domestique. “I had a cold for a week or so. In the races I felt good.”

On stage 4, Vercouillie turned those unexpectedly good legs into a memorable victory on the Col du VAM. Attacking from a five-man breakaway, he held off Ceriel Desal and Tars Poelvoorde by two seconds to claim a win that had been three years in the making.

For Vercouillie, the emotions were overwhelming.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was about 50 metres before the finish, that was the moment I knew I could,” he said. “Three years ago I won a race at under-23 level. That was the last time I won a race. I felt that energy of the last three years without winning.”

The victory carried an even deeper personal significance. Vercouillie lost his father, Kristof, in August and dedicated the win to him, saying he would have been enormously proud.

It was also a poignant moment for Team Flanders-Baloise. The Belgian squad, which will cease operations at the end of the season, was contesting its final stage race. Vercouillie's triumph offered a rare moment of celebration amid the uncertainty surrounding the team's riders and staff.

The celebrations themselves were somewhat unconventional. Between the podium ceremony and a lengthy wait at doping control, Vercouillie barely had time to take in what he had achieved.

“There were a few riders before me, so I think I waited an hour before it was my turn. When I was back at the buses, everyone had already gone,” he recalled.

Despite delivering the biggest result of his career, Vercouillie has been unable to secure a professional contract for next season. Instead, he will join Tarteletto-Isorex at Continental level, a move that represents a step down in the cycling hierarchy.

For the Belgian, however, the decision reflects the increasingly difficult transfer market rather than a lack of confidence in his abilities.

“I have to go to a lower level, on paper. But it’s not so bad, because it’s just the problems, all the teams disappearing. It’s more outside the plans of the teams than inside them. That’s the reason I’m going to a Continental team, and not because I’m not good enough.”

Vercouillie had attracted interest from the WorldTour earlier in the season, following a strong performance at the Étoile de Bessèges, where he came close to taking a stage victory before a teammate ultimately won.

His agent subsequently held discussions with a WorldTour team, but the interest never materialised into an offer.

“My manager had a meeting with a manager of a WorldTour team and he was interested,” Vercouillie explained. “But he couldn’t make an offer, because at that moment, at the start of the season, he didn’t have much room for new riders. It was like puzzling with his development team, new riders and old riders. He couldn’t make an offer for me because he had no room.”

As the season progressed, opportunities became even harder to find. With teams finalising their rosters and several squads disappearing from the professional ranks, Vercouillie found himself competing for an increasingly limited number of places.

“Many teams are full. I waited a bit to see if there was still a chance to go professional,” he said. “The last five years there are six or seven teams that have gone. There are a lot of riders on the street without a contract, and some of them are really good riders, or riders riding under their price. It’s not only in cycling, the crisis. It’s everywhere.”

His situation highlights a harsh reality of the modern transfer market. Even a breakthrough victory is no guarantee of a contract when teams are disappearing and the number of available riders exceeds the opportunities on offer.

Vercouillie, who turns 24 on 3 November, is nevertheless determined to make the most of his move to Tarteletto-Isorex.

The Belgian Continental outfit competes in many of the country's one-day races and also races internationally, offering him opportunities to pursue results while continuing to demonstrate his value against stronger opposition.

“Maybe it’s one step back in 2027 to take two steps forward,” he said. “If I can show what I always do in those races, and maybe at a slightly lower level I can go for the win or help a team to win, and in the bigger races show that I’m stronger. Then maybe there’s a team that takes me to the pro level.”

Vercouillie believes he has a clearly defined role to offer potential employers. He sees himself as a rider capable of joining breakaways, supporting leaders and contributing to a team's tactical objectives, even when the results sheet does not necessarily reflect that work.

Finding a team in need of those qualities, however, has proved considerably more difficult.

“I know what I can do. Get in the break for a bigger team, for a leader who wants to sprint. I think that’s very good work for me. But there has to be a team that wants that profile, and that wasn’t so good at the moment,” he said.

“Not many teams want or have a profile like me, or they already have a rider who does the same. Maybe in 2028 there’s more room for riders like me, for the job I can do. That’s what I hope.”