Julien Vermote is currently without a contract into the 2026 season and his task is being made more difficult due to the teams’ pursuit of young riders and the ‘next Evenepoel or Pogacar’. The Belgian in the meantime, with 15 seasons of racing at the top level and the motivation, is struggling to find his spot in the peloton despite the massive experience he has in his skillset.

“They all think they’ll miss the new Pogacar or Remco otherwise. But there aren’t fifty of them walking around like that,” Vermote said in words to Het Nieuwsblad. “My age is a turn-off for some teams. Everything is measured in watts and heart rate zones. While you still win races with brains and gut feeling.”

Vermote had already previously talked about this matter and how he didn’t get a renewal at Visma, something understandable as it is one of the absolute best teams in the world and just making it into the ’30’ is a big challenge. However with his time in the Dutch team, as well as Quick-Step, Dimension Data, Cofidis and Alpecin-Deceuninck he has learnt a lot and is a valuable road captain to most teams.

His numbers potentially not as high as the potential of other up and coming riders, but he sees value within himself still in the modern peloton. “We don’t ride races on rollers either. Yet sometimes it feels that way. You can keep that up for a few years, but at some point, something mentally jumps. Riders burn out before they even reach their peak. Race insight, choosing your position, avoiding panic — you don’t learn that from TrainingPeaks”.

I can still add value

Hence the 36-year old finds himself in a tricky position where most teams are close to finishing their lineup and aren’t looking to sign more riders, with a few teams also either closing down or merging, lowering the amount of positions available at the top level teams.

“I feel I can still add value. I know how to protect someone or when to slow down. You can’t download that. But when it comes to racing, reason and courage still trump the power meter,” he argues. “Man is not a machine, and people seem to forget that. The race isn’t a laboratory. You win with heart, not with an algorithm.”