“And I understand that people appreciate him riding along like that and want to see who’s the strongest, but that’s not how cycling works. Sometimes you have to finish someone else’s plate before you start on your own.”
The Dutchman’s statements lift up once again the debate on when to work – or not – with the likes of van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, who frequently dominate races, yet get collaboration from rivals who stand little chance of beating them.
A position on the podium is worth a lot however, specially for a rider like Vermeersch who has Tadej Pogacar as a teammate, hence limiting his chances in the spring classics quite a lot. However, we did not see the same course of action from Tim van Dijke, who sat on the wheel of the duo, and then sprinted to second at the end of the race.
But this was not without its consequences. Even if minor, van der Poel did not look to greet his compatriot at the finish line. “You can see afterward that Van der Poel just lets Tim van Dijke keep riding and waits for Vermeersch to give him a hug,” Ten Dam points out.
“He obviously hopes that next time, if the Belgian is in his good graces, he’ll do the same; that’s nice for Van der Poel too.” In the long-run, perhaps Vermeersch will be able to benefit from this weekend’s work alongside van der Poel. Van Dijke cannot say the same: “They’re buddies (outside of racing, ed.). The fact that he goes to Vermeersch first says a lot about how Van der Poel feels about it”.