Fueling performance through daily structure
Performance doesn’t begin on the start line. It begins in the quiet, consistent choices athletes make long before the spotlight hits. At Team Visma | Lease a Bike, nutrition is therefore not a side note, but a structural part of the daily performance conversation.
Performance doesn’t begin on the start line. It begins in the quiet, consistent choices athletes make long before the spotlight hits. At Team Visma | Lease a Bike, nutrition is therefore not a side note, but a structural part of the daily performance conversation.
What sets the team apart is not a single method or tool, but one shared structure. Coaches, nutritionists, chefs, trainers, and head coaches all work from the same framework, with one common goal: keeping riders available to train and perform, day after day.
“Nutrition is not an extra layer for us. It’s an integral part of how we manage training, recovery, and performance on a daily basis.” – Mathieu Heijboer, Head of Performance
The Athlete's FoodCoach
One structure, shared by the entire team
Every rider works with a personalized nutrition plan, aligned with training load, goals, and context. At the same time, that plan is embedded in a team-wide approach, ensuring everyone speaks the same language.
“The conversation is no longer about what someone should eat in theory, but about how this meal supports today’s training and recovery.” – Gabriel Martins, Performance Nutritionist
By translating complex nutrition science into clear, practical daily routines, the team creates calm, clarity, and confidence for both riders and staff.
Rider availability as a performance driver
In a high-pressure sport like cycling, nutrition is often the first thing to suffer under stress. Yet it remains one of the most powerful levers for performance. By structurally connecting nutrition to training load, recovery needs, and context, training becomes more sustainable and recovery more predictable. Each meal turns into an opportunity to support the body, rather than strain it.
“Every meal is a chance to do something a little better. Not perfect but consistently aligned with the rider’s plan and goal.” – Gabriel Martins, Performance Nutritionist
Development across men’s and women’s World Tour teams
This way of working has been a core pillar within the men’s team since 2018. In 2025, the same structure was further refined within Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women, where different physiological and contextual demands required additional precision.
“The women’s team challenged us to sharpen our approach even further, especially around individual needs within a shared structure.” – Robert Jan Koens, Managing Director at The Athlete’s FoodCoach.
The result is a single performance philosophy that works across different profiles, within one unified team organization.
From World Tour cycling to global elite sport: Red Bull APC
What has been developed within Team Visma | Lease a Bike has proven to be transferable far beyond cycling. The same principles now form the foundation of the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centers (APC Salzburg & Los Angeles), where athletes across more than 200 sports worldwide are supported using this structured approach.
From endurance and team sports to action sports, the philosophy remains consistent: one clear structure, adapted to sport and context, with coaches and athletes at the center.
“The fact that this approach is now applied globally within Red Bull APC is a strong recognition of how powerful and transferable the structure, partly shaped within Team Visma | Lease a Bike, truly is.” – Robert Jan Koens, Managing Director at The Athlete’s FoodCoach.
The next step: from elite sport to everyday coaching practice
The evolution does not stop at the elite level. On January 28, FoodCoach and Team Visma | Lease a Bike will host a masterclass for fitness coaches at the team’s High Performance Center. During this event, coaches will explore how elite performance principles around nutrition and process coaching can be applied in everyday training environments. The program features:
· Jacco Verhaeren, Head of Coaching at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, on process coaching and long-term athlete development
· A boutique fitness trainer from one of the first FoodCoach fitness pilots, demonstrating how nutrition can be integrated into coaching practice without being a nutrition specialist
“It shows that what works in elite sport can also work in fitness, as long as the structure is right.” – Jacco Verhaeren, Head of Coaching
This marks a natural extension of the same philosophy: maintaining quality while making performance principles accessible in broader sporting contexts.
More information: https://www.theathletesfoodcoach.com/inspiration/masterclass-fitness-january-2026
Performance doesn’t stop at training camp
Looking ahead, the team is also focused on applying the same clarity and consistency in the home environment. By simplifying workflows and adding new features, athletes are increasingly supported in using the same performance structure for every meal wherever they are. Nutrition becomes a natural part of daily life, not just something managed during camps or races.
In summary
Team Visma | Lease a Bike demonstrates that performance is not a collection of isolated interventions, but a shared way of working. That this approach is now embraced by multiple sports teams and extended to fitness coaches, shows how principles forged at the highest level of cycling can evolve into a broader standard for performance across sport.
