‘They fear they could blow up’ - Florian Vermeersch explains how Pogacar is changing the way rivals race

The Belgian, who is set to support Pogačar at the Tour de France, says some riders no longer even attempt to follow when the Slovenian attacks in the mountains because they fear the consequences of going too deep.

“I understand why some riders do not even try to follow when Tadej accelerates uphill,” Vermeersch told Jan Bakelants in an interview with HLN. “They know they could blow up, get countered and end up losing even more time.”

Pogačar has repeatedly put minutes into some of the world’s best climbers, creating a sense of inevitability whenever he launches an attack. Those performances have led to increasing discussion about whether his superiority is making races too predictable.

“I genuinely think the gap between those amateurs and me is the same as the gap between Pogačar and me,” Koen Bouwman said after the Tour de Suisse. “I am a professional cyclist too. I do everything I can to perform, but the gap is still extraordinary.”

Vermeersch understands that frustration, particularly among riders who believe they are producing career best numbers but are still unable to stay close.

“I understand the frustration and despondency among other riders when they are performing at their best, only for someone else to ride another five kilometres per hour faster,” he said.

But the Belgian rejects the suggestion that Pogačar should race with more restraint.

“I would think it was wrong if he deliberately started holding back to give the others hope,” Vermeersch said. “Tadej is simply that good. Anyone, including me, would race exactly the same way with his legs and keep showing that he is the best.”

Vermeersch has spent the final weeks before the Tour training alongside Pogačar at altitude in Sierra Nevada. Even for an elite professional, watching the Slovenian’s level at close range has been difficult to process.

“You cannot imagine how good he is. Especially when he starts throwing around his watts per kilogram, it can be quite depressing for me,” said Vermeersch, who added that it was best simply not think about it.

“You really cannot compare yourself with him. If you use Tadej as the standard, you are not going to be satisfied.”

During the training camp, the riders often started together before completing their individual efforts. Vermeersch made no attempt to match Pogačar on the climbs.

“If I had tried to match him, I would have ridden myself into the ground within a week,” he said.

Even playful attempts to make Pogačar suffer rarely worked. Riders occasionally increased the pace after someone had completed a long turn at the front, hoping to put that teammate under pressure. That tactic was almost pointless with Pogačar. 

“You know he will survive it,” Vermeersch said. “Five minutes later, he does exactly the same thing to you. There is no mercy.”

Asked whether there is any terrain where he can hurt the Tour favourite, Vermeersch identified one highly specific scenario. “On shallow descents of around two percent, I can hurt Tadej a little thanks to my weight and power,” he said. “But that is about it.”

Pogačar will start the Tour as the overwhelming favourite, but Vermeersch is reluctant to speak as if victory is guaranteed. The Tour remains vulnerable to crashes, illness and tactical chaos.

Inside UAE, however, there is no embarrassment about their leader’s superiority.

The frustration of his rivals may be real, but Vermeersch believes it is not Pogačar's responsibility to make the race feel closer than it is.

“He is simply that good,” he said. “Anyone, including me, would do exactly the same with his legs and keep showing that he is the best.”