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 think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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