"I tried to get him to our team as a prospect" - Tadej Pogacar almost joined Visma over UAE according to Merijn Zeeman
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has been the biggest adversary of Team Visma | Lease a Bike over the last few years. When the Slovenian was breaking through the youth ranks however, he was actually almost a Visma rider according to the team's sports director Merijn Zeeman.
"We heard that he was a special talent. Then I looked through Primoz Roglic, his compatriot, to see who he was and whether we could get in touch with him," Zeeman recalls of his first experience of Pogacar, in conversation with NOS. "I tried to get him to our team as a prospect, but by then he had already signed with UAE Team Emirates. We did have him on our radar."
"You know that such a talent will continue to ride there," Zeeman continues, admitting that once UAE Team Emirates got their hands on Pogacar there was simply no chance the Slovenian would be making the move to Visma. "Besides that we had Primoz and we have Jonas Vingegaard. You just focus on the guys you have."
After denying the then named Jumbo-Visma and Primoz Roglic a first Tour de France win in 2020 on the final time-trial, Pogacar saw off the challenge of Jonas Vingegaard in 2021 before finally Visma began to take control of the rivalry in 2022 and 2023 as Vingegaard went back to back at the Tour de France. In 2024 however, the momentum has switched again, with Pogacar back to his very best and reclaiming the Maillot Jaune in scintillating style.
Heading into the final stage individual time-trial where a potential 6th stage win of this Grand Tour could be awaiting, Pogacar leads Vingegaard by over five minutes in the general classification, breaking a number of records along the way and becoming the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete a Giro/Tour double.
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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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The last time a rider won the Giro-Tour double (Marco Pantani, 1998), Il Giro started from Nice. Today, Tadej Pogacar will do that too and Le Tour ends in Nice. Somehow, it feels like it's come full circle. Nice. 🔄 #TdF2024
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