Leemreize, from Ruurlo in The Netherlands, already has experience with the Dutch World Tour team. Early this year he raced the Tour de la Provence and at the end of July he will start in the professional race Vuelta a Burgos.

“It has always been my dream to become a professional cyclist”, Leemreize said. “In the early years that I cycled that was not yet realistic, but it went better every year and I continued to take steps. In the end it went fast, because last year I was still with a club team. It was very nice that I was allowed to take the step to the Development Team last year. I am very happy that I can now join the World Tour team.”

Robbert de Groot, Head of Development, sees Leemreize as a talented climber. “We think he has the potential to become a full-fledged professional. This is also a trigger for the other riders of the Jumbo-Visma Development Team. Gijs is the first rider to make the switch and hopefully more riders from our Development Team will follow in the coming years.”

Sportive director Merijn Zeeman is happy that he can add a young talent to the team. “It is a memorable accomplishment that the first young rider makes the switch from the Development Team. Last year Gijs raced with the club team Sensa - Kanjers voor Kanjers. We got a tip by Han Vaanhold, after which Gijs earned a place in our Development Team. We didn’t expect a rider to make the switch so soon. Gijs has developed well and the Development Team and the associated training program have contributed to this. We consider him ready to switch to the pros and learn more and gain experience there. We have faith in him and that is why we committed him for three years.”