The plan has no timetable: Vermeersch, 33, intends to keep racing as long as his body and his head allow it, with a limited cyclocross programme each winter. He has called his move from Alpecin-Deceuninck to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe a success. After that, it’s the counter. “When I go to the chip shop, I always think: I could see myself standing here too,” he told WielerFlits.
A chip shop is a workshop with oil instead of grease. There’s a vat, a thermostat, a basket that has to come back up without forcing it. If the basket sticks, that’s a runner problem, not a potato problem. Everyone’s going to ask him about the name, the sauce, the sign above the door. I want to know what temperature the oil runs at, and who changes it. Because oil is like a chain: you don’t see it age, you hear it. A clean vat is half the shift already, mind you. I’m going to degrease the van, then.
He already has his order sorted: a Bicky Burger with a “Julientje” portion of fries, topped with stew, satay spice, mayonnaise, minced meat and fried onions. He makes his world championship debut on the Sunday after the interview.
It’s true, we checked: WielerFlits.
