'I'm here to just go all-out and race without any regret' – Florian Vermeersch prepared for Gravel Worlds title defence

Belgian racer Florian Vermeersch is in Australia this weekend, the 27-year-old taking aim at becoming the first rider to defend the gravel world title since the event was established in 2022.

Vermeersch triumphed in Maastricht last October, soloing to the line in the final 20km after initially attacking with more than 120km to go.

Now he's in Nannup, Western Australia, for another shot at the Gravel World Championships, where he'll face off against the likes of Keegan Swenson (USA), Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark), and Matt Beers (South Africa), among others.

Vermeersch has mostly focussed on the road this season, racing the spring Classics (including podiums at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Classic plus a top-10 finish at the Tour of Flanders) and the Giro d'Italia. But he's still prepared to defend his title at the Gravel Worlds,

"Unfortunately, I've done only one gravel race. The plan was to do one or two more, but due to my calendar, it was not possible," Vermeersch told Cyclingnews this week.

"But I've done a lot of gravel rides at home wearing the jersey, so I've enjoyed that. It was a very nice year, I would say. It's an honour to wear those rainbow colours."

Vermeersch and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team have planned for him to return to the gravel this week to keep the rainbow stripes in the team along with Brandon McNulty's road world title.

"From December last year, when we were speaking about my calendar with my team, I already got the signal that I could defend my title. They gave me the freedom that if I wanted, I could come here," he said.

"I said immediately that I would like to defend it. So it was a bit of a no-brainer. I didn't really have to fight for it with the team; they allowed me to come, so that's very nice of them and I really appreciate that.

"The last few weeks, to prepare and train for this race, have been very nice. I've made a lot of hours on the bike, and I think I'm in a good place."

Along with a host of other top competitors to battle – even if none of the previous world champions is lining up – Vermeersch will face a tough route in Nannup.

The 144km race route will include 3,713 metres of climbing and much tougher gravel than previous editions in Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands, with at least 80% gravel on every route, said race director Stephen Gallagher.

"I did the big loop – the 77 km loop – yesterday, and it's really tough. I think it's going to be a very demanding race, but I'm in for a challenge, and we'll see," Vermeersch said of the route.

"Some corners were actually pretty sketchy. It's really slippery, and you have to pay attention. But I think now, with the rain coming down, it's going to make it a bit faster and a little bit less slippery in the corners, I think. So for this, the rain is not too bad."

He acknowledged that the route is a major challenge but noted that some pressure is off his shoulders, having already won the world title last time out.

"I think it's going to be on the limit. I'm a big guy, and it's almost 4,000 metres of climbing. But I'm in for a challenge. I really like the course, and we'll see where I end up.

"The good thing is I've already won the jersey once, so this is not an extra stress factor for me. I'm here to just go all-out and race without any regret, I would say. Just leave it all out there."

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