In 2023, for the first time, a single cycling team won three Grand Tour titles in one season. Team Jumbo-Visma, which will become Team Visma | Lease a Bike on 1 January, achieved this extraordinary feat with three different winners. Primoz Roglic won the Giro, Jonas Vingegaard the Tour and Sepp Kuss the Vuelta. A historic first in an already magnificent season with a total of 69 victories.
“An unprecedented success and the result of the dedication of the entire organisation”, said CEO Richard Plugge at the team presentation in MOVE Amsterdam. Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman added that the team will not be sitting still and has high expectations for the upcoming season. The cycling team aims to shine in the spring classics, win stages at the Giro d’Italia, win the Tour de France final for the third consecutive year, and excel as defending champions at the Vuelta a España. “You can expect ambitious goals from our team. We want to continue creating sports history, and we will do so if we achieve these goals together next year”, Zeeman continued.
Spring classics
With riders such as Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot and Dylan van Baarle, the team hopes for top performances in the spring classics. The focus will be on the monumental Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Wout van Aert: “It remains a dream to win one of these monuments, and we will do everything we can to make this dream come true.”
Giro d’Italia
Team Visma | Lease a Bike targets stage wins at the Tour of Italy. With riders like Wout van Aert, Olav Kooij and Cian Uijtdebroeks at the start, the team should be able to win several stages. Kooij: “I can’t wait for the Giro. I grew up on the Development Team of this outfit. It’s great to have the chance to follow up my strong 2023 season with my first grand tour.”
Tour de France
Two-time winner Vingegaard will once again be chasing the overall title at the Tour de France, seeking his third consecutive victory in the world’s greatest cycling race. The Dane would join an exceptional list of riders. Vingegaard: “Of course, it won’t be easy. The competition is tough, but we believe in our approach and will ensure we have an excellent plan again.”
Vuelta a España
As defending champions, Team Visma | Lease a Bike enters the Vuelta a España with high ambitions. The season will show how these ambitions will be realised. Zeeman: “Last season was historic, and as defending champions we are always ambitious, but our concrete plans for the Vuelta will be finalised later.”
New contracts for Vingegaard, Kuss and Van Empel
In addition to the sporting challenges for 2024, the team is proud to announce that cyclocross world champion Fem van Empel, Vuelta winner Kuss and two-time Tour winner Vingegaard have all signed new contracts. Kuss and Van Empel have signed until 2027. Vingegaard has extended his contract until the end of 2028.
Zeeman: “This is excellent news for us. We like to enter into long-term partnerships, and we are happy that Fem, Sepp and Jonas feel the same way. We will continue to make sports history in the years to come.”
Jonas Vingegaard: “I feel very much at home with this team. And we are very successful with our approach. That’s why I’m happy to extend my contract again. My future is here, and I’m proud of it.”
Sepp Kuss: “This team is like a family. I feel at home here. The excellent results we have achieved as a team and my personal victory in the Vuelta a España are proof of that. It is also a good feeling to be able to build on this for the coming years. Together, we will be even more successful!”
Fem van Empel: “I have the right people around me at Team Visma | Lease a Bike to continue to grow and achieve great results. Things are already going well, but I am convinced that even more is possible. I am therefore delighted to be able to count on the support of this team for many years to come.”
New logo and kit
During the team presentation, Team Visma | Lease a Bike also unveiled its new logo and jersey for the 2024 cycling season. The combination of Visma and Lease a Bike as main sponsors marks a fresh start, building on everything the team has achieved and built over the past few years. This is reflected in the team’s kit, which is dominated by yellow and black. These colours are embedded in Yellow B., the new name of the company behind the cycling team, which replaces Blanco Pro Cycling.
