"I really felt like a cyclist" – Bart Lemmen reflects on breakthrough year with Team Visma | Lease a Bike

Dutch rider Bart Lemmen, 29, has completed his first season at WorldTour level with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. His rise to the sport’s top tier was anything but conventional, and on the De Rode Lantaarn podcast, Lemmen opened up about his journey, his surprise signing, and his dreams for the future.

Lemmen’s route to Visma | Lease a Bike began with standout performances at O Gran Camiño, the Tour of Slovakia, and the Dutch National Championships, where he finished fourth. Despite his strong results, he found himself without a team after Human Powered Health disbanded, leaving his future uncertain. Then, an unexpected call changed everything.

“I was riding back from the Oktoberfest in Stuttgart when I got a message from my manager that Marijn wanted to call me,” Lemmen shared. Marijn Zeeman, the influential sporting director of Visma | Lease a Bike, quickly made his admiration clear. “He said during the conversation: ‘If you say yes now, it will be arranged this afternoon.’ I looked at Nienke (his wife) and she went through the roof. Because we had been looking for a team for months.”

While Q36.5 Pro Cycling had also made an offer that day, Lemmen’s decision became clear. Joining one of the world’s most prestigious teams not only fulfilled a long-held ambition but also provided a sense of validation. “I really felt like a cyclist,” Lemmen said. “Before, if someone asked me what I did, I would say that I was a cyclist. ‘At Jumbo then?’ they asked. Then you have to explain that you ride for a pro-continental team that in theory could ride the Tour de France, but in practice doesn’t. Now I could just say: ‘Yes, I’m at Visma.’”

Lemmen’s season was filled with both challenges and near successes. He stepped in to replace Sepp Kuss, who tested positive for COVID-19, at the Tour de France, gaining invaluable experience on cycling’s biggest stage and riding alongside two time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard. In the autumn, he came heartbreakingly close to his first professional victory at the Coppa Bernocchi, riding solo for much of the finale before being caught in the last kilometre. “I was surprised how long it went well. With twenty kilometres to go I still had twenty seconds,” Lemmen recounted. The near-miss only fuelled his hunger for a victory.

“I would like to win a race as a pro. That there is no longer a zero in ProCyclingStats,” Lemmen admitted. “Of course, how great is it to win a stage in a Grand Tour, or an Amstel Gold Race. But let me start with a Coppa Bernocchi. But if I had to choose: I would choose a stage in the Tour.”