“At some point the affection for this team stops”: Former pro slams Visma for excluding Dutch riders from its Tour de France squad

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has announced its 2026 Tour de France squad, confirming a selection built around Jonas Vingegaard but again featuring no Dutch riders. The announcement also resolved the key uncertainty surrounding Wout van Aert’s absence, with Davide Piganzoli stepping into the final Tour spot after his strong Giro d’Italia campaign.

The team revealed its eight-man lineup ahead of the Grand Départ in Barcelona, with most names already anticipated before the official announcement. Alongside Piganzoli, Visma will bring Jonas Vingegaard, Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, Victor Campenaerts, Matteo Jorgenson, Per Strand Hagenes, and Sepp Kuss.

Piganzoli’s inclusion follows what Visma described as an impressive Giro d’Italia performance, positioning him as a natural candidate to reinforce the climbing group around Vingegaard. Several riders had been discussed internally as potential replacements for Van Aert, including Ben Tulett, Wilco Kelderman, and Bart Lemmen. Despite strong recent form, none were selected for the final Tour roster.

The absence of Dutch riders once again stands out for a team strongly associated with Dutch cycling structures. For the second year in a row, Visma | Lease a Bike will start the Tour without a single Dutch rider in its lineup.

This decision has been met with frustration among some analysts and fans who expected at least one domestic representative in cycling’s biggest race.

Former rider Bobbie Traksel was particularly critical of the team’s approach, questioning both the sporting and symbolic implications of the selection. “There is not someone who can do everything, like Wout van Aert can. And then you are a Dutch team… come on. Take a Dutch rider to the Tour de France,” Traksel said in the Eurosport podcast Kop over Kop.

He also linked the issue to the team’s sponsorship identity and public profile. “You bring Rabobank back into cycling. Then you are not going to take a team full of foreigners to the Tour de France. Because honestly, at some point the affection for this team stops if there are no Dutch riders included. You just don’t feel warm about this team anymore.”

Traksel also argued that representation matters for visibility during race coverage. “Being able to have an interview with a Dutch rider from that team after a stage… and not from a sports director, but from someone like Wilco Kelderman. I really would have pushed for Kelderman or Bart Lemmen for the Tour de France.”