With Smith and Uglehus, Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development is bringing in two riders who already have experience in the U23 category. “We have been following both of them for a while and have closely monitored their development since their transition to the U23 category,” says head of development Robbert de Groot. “Smith is a good climber with a lot of growth potential. He is a typical example of a rider who needs a bit more time to develop, but we are confident that we can help him get to a higher level over the next two years. Uglehus is a very strong and all-around rider. With him, we will work on all aspects that we consider important in the sport: training, nutrition, tactics, and coaching. We are very curious about the collaboration with Smith and Uglehus.”

Both riders are delighted with their move to Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development. “In my eyes, this is the best development team in the peloton,” says Smith. “It is good for my development to stay in the U23 category a bit longer. The past two years have been very educational, but with this team, I also get the chance to compete in professional races and race with the WorldTour riders.”

Uglehus is enthusiastic about the plans the team has for him. “I may not have achieved the greatest results yet, but based on the data, the team believes those results are within reach,” he says. “Everything is super professionally organized here. And the team has a proven track record of guiding riders to a higher level: you rarely see a rider get worse at Team Visma | Lease a Bike.”