Have Visma signed next Slovenian superstar? 19-year-old talent follows in Primoz Roglic's footsteps
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Development Team has confirmed three roster moves ahead of the 2026 season: the signings of Aldo Taillieu and Sven Mernik, and a one-year contract extension for Jonas Hoydahl.
Taillieu, a 20-year-old Belgian, joins on a two-year deal following a strong debut U23 season that included a prologue win at the Tour of Rwanda. Mernik, a Slovenian climber, signs a one-year contract, while Norwegian all-rounder Hoydahl will continue with the Dutch team for a third season.
These additions bring the development squad to 15 riders for 2026.
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“With these three riders, we strengthen ourselves once again on all fronts,” said Head of Development Robbert de Groot in an official press release. “Jonas is an all-rounder and a loyal soldier for our team, entering his third consecutive year with us. Don’t forget that as a junior, he came from mountain biking and had barely raced on the road. He’s made huge progress with us, and we believe he still has room to grow."
"We expect Aldo to continue developing as a classics rider, but his sprint and time-trial skills are also promising. We want to help him reach his full potential," he adds. "And Sven is a raw diamond as a climber. We’re very curious to see what progress he can make with our team’s support.”
Rider profiles
Taillieu has shown potential in short time trials and one-day races, and will be expected to continue his development across both classics-style terrain and support roles in stage races.
“I’m really excited about this step,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the structured way of working and the expertise within the team when it comes to nutrition and training. I want to keep improving in all areas. Hopefully, I can grow into a strong classics rider with the support of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but I’m also eager to help the team in stage races with a leader who can go for the win.”
Mernik, 19, is relatively untested at international level but has shown promise as a climber. He becomes the latest Slovenian rider to enter the WorldTour development pipeline, following in the footsteps of Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic - who remains a key influence.
“I want to become a professional cyclist, and this brings me a step closer to that goal,” Mernik said. “As a kid, I already followed this team — Primoz Roglic has always been one of my biggest sporting heroes. I’ve seen the team grow into one of the best in the world, and I’m very proud to be joining it.”
Hoydahl, who came into the team from a mountain biking background, continues to be developed as a support rider across a variety of terrains.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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