The Jonas Vingegaard story is past for Team Visma | Lease a Bike already with the arrival of breaking news that the Dutch team's Head of Racing Grischa Niermann is leaving the structure with immediate effect. Not only that, the German tactician is set to join Lidl-Trek as the team’s general manager, WielerFlits reports.
In addition, Lidl-Trek's general manager Luca Guercilena appears to be on his way out with his Deputee, Andy Schleck, expected to take over the role of Lidl-Trek's CEO.
Niermann rose through the ranks of Visma under the guidance of Merijn Zeeman, whom he had replaced in the role of Visma's racing dirigent following Zeeman's departure for football adventure. His departure comes barely a year and a half after he took on a key role in the Dutch team’s internal setup.
During his spell within the structure, the team locked in some of its biggest recent successes, including Grand Tour wins such as the Giro d’Italia (twice, the latest just 24 hours ago), the Vuelta a España, and monuments like Paris-Roubaix.
Marc Reef is expected to take over Niermann's role within Visma's structure, promoting from a role of sports director.
Reef already had broad experience before joining the Dutch outfit in 2022, following his stint with Iwan Spekenbrink’s team, where he worked with top-tier riders and contributed to multiple international wins.
At Visma, he has played a significant role in the sporting direction in recent years, including involvement in planning Grand Tour victories and presence at major targets such as the Tour de France.
From rider to key figure in the structure
Niermann brings a long track record in pro cycling and team management. After his racing career, he spent several years with the Rabobank development team before stepping up to the WorldTour in 2017, when the structure competed as LottoNL-Jumbo.
From there, he climbed the ranks to become essential in race preparation and planning, noted for a meticulous approach and exacting attention to detail.
With Niermann’s departure, Visma | Lease a Bike has gone for an internal solution. Marc Reef moves up the hierarchy to become the team’s new director of cycling.
Lidl-Trek accelerates its ambition
Niermann’s signing fits Lidl-Trek’s new growth phase, especially after Lidl became majority shareholder in 2025. Since then, the structure has begun a deep transformation both in sporting and organisational terms.
The team’s stated goal is clear: to become one of the peloton’s powerhouses. With Niermann’s arrival, the squad adds hard-earned Grand Tour expertise and strengthens its bid to make a qualitative leap in the coming seasons.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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