With Van der Poel’s compliments: Florian Vermeersch left torn after Omloop coup

Vermeersch’s day hadn’t exactly started smoothly either. He hit the deck early on and spent the rest of the race riding around in ripped shorts. It didn’t stop him from going all-in on the Molenberg, with 45 kilometres still to race. “My plan was to go full gas on the Molenberg, so I didn’t notice what was happening behind me,” he said afterwards.

That was probably for the best, because it meant Vermeersch didn’t see Pluimers slide out — and Van der Poel being the only one to stay ahead of the chaos. “I wanted to hit the corner first and then assess the damage at the top. The team did a perfect job, and when we crested, I had a gap with Mathieu,” Vermeersch could only conclude.

Vermeersch’s aggressive racing earned praise afterwards from Van der Poel. “I’ve known Florian for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him. Even more after today, because he was incredibly strong and he always races to win,” said the Alpecin–Premier Tech rider.

The Belgian didn’t make too much of it, even if he was smiling. He also wasn’t about to start celebrating. “I’m happy with the result, but especially with the legs. I came here to win and I put all my cards on the table with the way I raced. I think I deserved second place, but third is good too.”

Tim van Dijke sprinted to second for Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, perhaps because he still had something left. Vermeersch and Van der Poel, by contrast, committed fully. “Before the Classics I already said: I want to race without having regrets, and I did that. That’s why I’m satisfied.”

Could it have been closer when Van der Poel rode away from the other two on the Muur? In Vermeersch’s view, that isn’t really a question. “I wanted to shift onto my small chainring there, but it jammed. That’s when the cramps hit, and I couldn’t close the gap anymore. That’s a shame, but Mathieu was the strongest today anyway.”

“Maybe without cramps the gap would have been a little smaller, but Mathieu deserved the win,” he added, still complimentary. And so Vermeersch can take confidence from an Omloop podium in the race that’s almost on his doorstep. “It’s early, but it’s nice to be right there already. Now I have to stay focused, not get sick, and then we go race by race. It’s always better to start like this than not — so that’s good.”