"I needed something else to flourish": The Hungarian champion explains his decision to leave Visma

The transfer market has been boiling in the past months, as it always happens every year, with plenty of riders switching teams. One of them was Attila Valter, as the Hungarian champion is leaving Team Visma | Lease a Bike after 3 seasons to start a new adventure with Bahrain - Victorious.

“At the beginning of this year, I started to have questions: ‘Is it at the moment the best place for me?’” Valter told IDL Pro Cycling. “As the months passed by, and I raced how I raced, I felt like I could do more. If it is what it is after three years, it’s not going to change after four or five years. It’s not about teams, it is about the individual. Me, personally, needed something else to flourish, to be my best again.”

That change of environment arrived when Bahrain Victorious made their interest clear. “After a few months, I had a really eager Bahrain Victorious who really chased me, so that already gave me so many good feelings during the season that I thought: I want these feelings during the next season,” Valter explained. “The main reason is to fulfil my personal goals, and Bahrain is the best choice for me at the moment.”

Staying at Visma, Valter felt his role was unlikely to evolve, but what he wanted were new challenges. “I was certain that my role was going to stay pretty much the same at Visma, which is fine,” he said. “They have so many top, world-class riders that, most of the races, I would be a domestique and then get my own chances. But for me, it was really hard to switch from one to another.”

“Or you are one of the best, like Wout Van Aert, but it is never easy to help in one race, and then next week, they say: now it’s your chance to go, take that chance.”

Valter's situation got difficult in 2025 as he was not selected to compete in any of the Grand Tours. "Of course, I was really disappointed not to ride a Grand Tour, but I was disappointed with how many things turned out. That’s part of a career, its ups and downs. I was not planned for the Giro this year, and for the Tour and Vuelta, I was not at the level. If I would be flying, they would take me. So I have no hard feelings."

Reflecting on the year as a whole, Valter admitted both physical and mental difficulties that hindered his performance all year long. “Generally, I felt myself lacking this season. It was not an easy run for me,” he said. “Most of the races I could finish, though it is not a goal to finish races for me. I was often not far from something nice, but I felt like I was forcing things. I was struggling, also mentally. Even though I liked all my teammates and everyone there, I felt like I would not be able to turn things around here, with this mentality.”

Despite the challenges, Valter insists there is no bad blood between him and the team. “I would not change it for anything. I’m really happy for these past three years. It taught me so many things, I got so many good results and was a part of so many great teams, with basically the biggest riders in history. They have a really nice mentality and way of working, and it was amazing to be a part of that.”

Looking ahead to Bahrain Victorious, Valter cannot wait to start the season. “I really feel that I got my spark back,” he said. “I’m really eager to get to know everyone, to work with them, and with a different mindset, let’s say. There’s definitely way less nerves than when I signed with Jumbo-Visma.”

Valter shared some insights about his 2026 calendar, where he will have much more freedom compared to his Visma days. “I will have a lot of opportunities, and a lot of freedom. I will try myself even more in the Classics than in the past seasons. Of course, I will do Strade (he finished fourth in 2022), but also Omloop, E3 and Flanders. A lot of new races for me, which requires a lot of nerve, but we are working on that. We have a nice team for it.”

Valter is expected to return to at least one Grand Tour with Bahrain, although which one remains unclear for now. “For an opportunist like me, it is useless to look at the parcours,” he said. “My feeling is that the past two years, the race really changed much.”

“Last year, I did the Giro. When Tadej Pogacar started there, it completely changed the way of racing. Maybe there’s only one breakaway stage, because every GC rider wants to go for it.”