Former pro believes the riders are at fault for Visma’s 2024 crashes: “The riders really fall themselves”

It's safe to say that Visma Lease a Bike have had a difficult 2024. From Wout van Aert’s crash in the spring, and again at the Vuelta, to Jonas Vingegaard’s horror crash in the Basque Country, the season has been full of incidents for the team. This comes just one year after their dominant 2023 season, where they won all three Grand Tours.

Dutch ex-pro cyclist Michael Boogerd recently shared his thoughts on Visma's challenging season in an article for De Telegraaf. He expressed concern about the frequency of injuries sustained by the team’s riders.

“I absolutely do not know what is going on and I do not want to say strange things, but I think that many riders at Visma-Lease a Bike break something when they fall,” Boogerd stated.

“First of all, there are quite a lot of falls in that team. That has caused a lot of personnel problems and not with their least riders. That can be bad luck, but sometimes it is also unnecessary. Perhaps the pressure of performance plays a role at Visma, but that is speculation.”

Boogerd’s comments echo those of Mathieu van der Poel, who has previously shared his opinion on the issue of crashes in the peloton. Boogerd agreed with the Dutch champion's perspective, adding:

“He has already indicated several times that riders in the peloton themselves are often the cause of crashes. It will be an accumulation of factors. But apart from that, I notice that Visma riders break something very often. I wonder what causes that. At that team, they check and know everything. However, are there dietary patterns that cause the bone structure to not be completely good anymore? Is that a point where they drop a stitch?”

As Visma Lease a Bike continues to deal with the fallout of a tough season, the team will be eager to find answers and ensure a stronger comeback in the seasons ahead.