"This feels incredibly good, you can't imagine." 2nd place World Gravel Championship is personal victory for Vermeersch

Vermeersch was present in the decisive group of seven, accelerating 35 kilometers from the finish. Mathieu van der Poel jumped on his wheel like a cat, rode with him, and finally decided 15 kilometers from the finish that a solo victory suited him best. Vermeersch - considering the power balance - was also at peace with that.

"It was a challenging race. From the beginning of the race, the pace was already very high, so when we reached the local lap, there were only about ten riders left," the Lotto-Dstny rider told his story. "I knew I had to be one of the first to attack and ideally get Mathieu or someone else with me."

"That happened, and in the end, it simply came down to who was the strongest. I think everyone saw very well who that was," Vermeersch referred to Van der Poel with a smile. "I knew I would let go when he attacked, but I made the most of it. I already felt it when he got in front: that just went a bit harder, so you feel the difference."

"You always have hope, of course, but I knew pretty quickly that he was better," Vermeersch continued. "So it was going to be for second place. After doing a long turn behind Van der Poel and Connor Swift earlier, I also struggled. So I think this is the most I can do; I will be honest: this feels like a personal victory."

By this, he is referring to his severe injury earlier this year. 'I'm going to ride four more races in Italy because the season hasn't been that long for me since my femur fracture. "I'm still trying to grab all I can, but this second place is hugely satisfying. You can't imagine that," Vermeersch concluded.