The nickname the Bees originated years ago among Team Visma | Lease a Bike supporters, inspired by the team’s distinctive yellow-and-black colours. What started as a nickname along the roadside has grown into a recognisable and much-loved part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s identity. The team embraced the name and has made it an increasingly prominent part of its identity in recent years. With its own mascot, the Bees now quite literally get a face. 

At the world’s biggest sports clubs and events, mascots have long played an important role in bringing teams and supporters together. Team Visma | Lease a Bike is now bringing that concept to professional cycling, where the connection between the team, its riders and its supporters is unlike any other. “Cycling is, above all, a sport by and for fans. Supporters line the roads, travel with the team and are part of our story. With this mascot, we want to strengthen that bond even further and bring our nickname the Bees to life in a fun and visible way,” says Chief Business Officer Jasper Saeijs. 

The mascot will make its official debut at the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Barcelona, where it will immediately appear on the international stage of the world’s biggest cycling race and is expected to quickly win the hearts of cycling fans. 

Although the mascot will soon make its first public appearances, one important element is still missing: a name. Just as the nickname the Bees once originated with the fans, Team Visma | Lease a Bike wants to name the mascot together with its supporters. That is why the team is launching a fan vote, allowing supporters to choose the mascot's name from three pre-selected options. This way, the mascot will receive a name chosen directly by Team Visma | Lease a Bike fans.