'They were trying to hurt each other' – Florian Vermeersch fades in front row seat to latest Wout van Aert versus Mathieu van der Poel battle at In Flanders Fields

Florian Vermeersch continued to impress as the third strongest cobbled climber at In Flanders Fields on Sunday, only dropping behind Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel on the third rep of the Kemmelberg, the final climb of the race.

As the leader for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Vermeersch backed up his podium finish from E3 Saxo Classic on Friday by first responding to the acceleration of Van Aert on the second Kemmelberg ascent. He was then the only other rider, except for Van der Poel, to make it into the leading group heading into the last 57km.

They were joined by five riders from the early breakaway, but once they reached the Ossuaire side up the steep berg and the final 35km loomed, Vermeersch could no longer hold on to the two superstar riders.

"I missed the last 1 or 2 % on them; it is what it is. It's not a shame, they are two of the best riders in the world, so it was good I was up there," said Vermeersch in the mixed zone.

"I think I was the only one able to follow on the Kemmelberg, and I'm happy with how I raced. It was just those last few per cent, but that's racing."

Vermeersch chased solo for 24km and kept his gap around a respectable 20 seconds from the lead duo the entire time, before the peloton reeled him in. They too then came unstuck in the final 1-2km, with Van Aert doing the lion's share of the work and Van der Poel's teammate Jasper Philipsen winning the sprint.

"The peloton eventually caught up, but I already knew beforehand that it is difficult to race from the breakaway here," said Vermeersch to Sporza.

"I really hoped they would ride up at pace, but they were trying to hurt each other. I really rode my absolute best to try and catch up, but it’s not easy against those two.

"After the last ascent of the Kemmelberg, I did everything I could to come back, but against Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, that is, of course, not easy."

He finished 31st, so the top result has gone amiss for Vermeersch, but his stock as a top Classics rider only keeps rising, and with UAE's leader still set to arrive for the Tour of Flanders in a week's time, the defending champion will have an elite domestique racing in his service.

At 27, too, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Vermeersch continue to develop and really push the Van Aerts and Van der Poels of the world in the next few seasons. That second place at the wet Paris-Roubaix back in 2021 may have seemed like somewhat of an anomaly at the time, but it was actually a clear sign of what was to come in the longer-term for Vermeersch.

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