Julien Vermote helps guide Visma | Lease a Bike talents: "But on the other hand, I also learn from them"

If there's one rider this season who will be grateful for any races he gets to participate in, it's Julien Vermote. After months of searching, the Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike appeared to have to give up his dream of remaining at the pro level, but look at him now: he has already competed in races like Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, and now the Ardennes trilogy is coming up. IDLProCycling.com spoke with him!

Vermote, 34 years old, was given a chance by the Dutch success team at the last minute, in order to fill gaps in the selection roster. He seized that opportunity with both hands, and both he himself and the team are happy about the collaboration. "It was a great opportunity. I feel good in the team. It's always nice to come into a team that's performing well and is very structured. I've been able to participate in great races, so that makes me happy too. I wouldn't have expected that in December, but I always kept believing. Whether that would become reality, you don't know. But I kept faith, and that's been a strength."

Those who know Vermote's story, know that he's a fighter. He can also pass this on to the younger generation of Visma | Lease a Bike riders, with whom he has been on the road, for example, during the Coppi and Bartali Week and the Volta NXT Classic. "In a certain way, I might be an example for those guys. Unconsciously, without saying much. Besides, it's just really nice to be on the road with all these young guys, we have a good mix."

"Perhaps that's also one of the reasons why the team chose me, that perseverance," Vermote continues. "I just kept training when I didn't have a team, with Sander Cordeel as my coach. He gave me schedules and that also helped. If you wake up without a goal, it definitely won't work. I've always kept motivated, simply because I really wanted it and was determined to show that I could make a comeback. I like to pass on that experience, I'm quite conscious of it. So they learn something from me, but on the other hand, I also learn from them. It's just beautiful to see that grit."

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Vermote notices big differences with young generation of today: "I was still in school..."

Vermote, who has more than ten years of experience as a pro, notices significant differences between cycling then and now. "We're talking about thirteen years later, and in that time, racing has managed to develop quite a bit. Everything has grown much bigger and it's happening very quickly. These young guys have a lot of talent and everyone's physical capabilities are very high. That level keeps rising and they take better care of themselves, paying more attention to nutrition and such. Those are the small details that make the difference, which is why the bar is always set very high. Everything is advancing."

As a former rider for teams like Quick Step and Alpecin-Fenix, he is now racing for a Dutch team for the first time. "The culture may be a bit more direct in the Netherlands than at Quick-Step, for example, but that's only a good thing and you learn from it. It's an open way of communicating, but on the other hand: I joined Quick-Step in 2011, so to what extent can you compare that to now? Everything is completely different nowadays," Vermote laughs. "These young guys have much more information, I was still in school… Now, at that age, they're already racing with the pros and there's so much more knowledge. As a result, everything is moved up a bit and the culture is also different."