Vermaut was born in
Ostend. He turned professional in 1998 with the team , after riding with them as a
stagiaire the previous year. In 1999, he won a stage of the
Circuit des Mines and placed sixth in the
Circuito Montañés and
Cholet-Pays de Loire, ninth in the
Tour de l'Avenir, and tenth in the
Grand Prix de Wallonie and the
Deutschland Tour. In 2000, he joined the American team , led by Belgian
Johan Bruyneel. In 2001, he joined the Belgian team . He participated in the
Tour de France, where he finished 36th overall. With heart problems early in the 2002 season, he was forced to stop cycling. Medical examinations revealed that he suffered from
tachyarrhythmia and the right part of his heart was overdeveloped. The team's doctor declared him unfit to ride. In July, Vermaut received word from another doctor that he was fit to ride again. He joined
Palmans–Collstrop for the remainder of the season, but ended his career at the end, as new problems were arising. ==Death==