Team Visma | Lease a Bike talents ready for first season at highest level
Team Visma | Lease a Bike continues to focus on the future. With Niklas Behrens, the Dutch formation brought in the U23 world champion. In addition, Jørgen Nordhagen, Matthew Brennan, Tijmen Graat and Menno Huising all stepped up from the development team to the WorldTour-roster.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike values talent development highly. Since the formation of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development in 2020, 19 riders have already progressed to the pro peloton. Well-known examples are Olav Kooij, Per Strand Hagenes and brothers Tim and Mick van Dijke. This season too, four homegrown riders are making the step to our WorldTeam.
Kooij motivated towards new season: 'Stage win in Giro gave me confidence'
“This year we can welcome some talented riders again”, says Head of Racing Grischa Niermann. “Last summer we signed the strong Niklas Behrens, the world champion in the Under 23-category. Jørgen, Matthew, Tijmen and Menno are again homegrown riders who secured a place on the WorldTour team.”
“Looking to the future, it is great to see our own guys making the step to the pro peloton”, Niermann continues. “We have made good plans for the coming season. For the young riders, it is important that they have a race calendar that suits them. They get the opportunity to improve their skills and insights at the highest level, surrounded by experienced leaders like Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.”
"We give our young talents the chance to compete for victories"
It remains important that the young talents, who often competed for victory in the youth categories, continue to do so at pro level. “That is why we have adjusted our calendar a bit compared to past years”, Niermann says. “We will do more smaller races, precisely to give our young talents the chance to compete for victories. We believe this will help them improve themselves even faster.”
Nordhagen showcased his abilities last year at Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development, where he immediately managed to secure some nice victories. The 19-year-old Norwegian talent, who has a successful past as a cross-country skier, hopes to learn a lot in his first full cycling season as a pro.
"I already received a lot of advice from Jonas Vingegaard"
“The first weeks with the WorldTeam were great”, Nordhagen says. “It's thrilling, but I'm happy to be a part of all this. I know a lot of riders from watching them race on television, but now I am their teammate. It makes sense that I look up to riders like Jonas and Wout. They are the stars of the sport. Over the past years I have been following their performances closely. It is special that I can now race with them and learn from them. I have already received a lot of advice from Jonas, with whom I shared a room at our training camp.”
“I will get the opportunity to show the best of myself in the coming years”, the Norwegian adds. “Team Visma | Lease a Bike believes in me and the team gives me all tools to further develop myself. There are expectations from outside, but I am not concerned with that. Of course I put some pressure on myself to get better, but most of all I try to enjoy it.”
