One of the star riders of the Team Visma | Lease a Bike set up, Wout van Aert has extended his contract with the team on an indefinite basis, meaning the Belgian will end his career with Visma.
"I didn't have to think long when this idea came up," Van Aert explains of the decision after the announcement was made official by Team Visma | Lease a Bike on their official website. "First of all, because at Team Visma | Lease a Bike we work with the best people and the best equipment. Together we are constantly looking for improvement, which means we keep developing individually but also as a team. I owe a lot of success to that, we really do it together."
"But apart from that, I feel very much at home in this team, which is very important to me," continues Van Aert, who first signed with the Visma team back in 2019 and has since taken numerous notable victories in Grand Tours, Classics and even cyclocross. "This team is unique and has suited me for five years and I want to keep it that way. That's why I decided to stay here forever, and that feels really good."
"Wout is of course a fantastic rider with a great palmares. He is an all-rounder: a sprinter, a classic rider, a time trialist and on his best days he also wins a mountain stage like the famous victory on Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France. But besides that, Wout has really become an important culture carrier, an indispensable link in our team," adds Team Visma | Lease a Bike boss Richard Plugge. "He is a leader and a team player. He is a rider who also makes others in the team better, just through his insights and charisma. We are extremely happy with him and fortunately that is mutual."