"I wanted to be in the leading team in a grand tour again" - Victor Campenaerts hopes to become key to Visma's Grand Tour success in 2025

Despite a good stint with Lotto Dstny, Victor Campenaerts chose to join Visma | Lease a Bike next year. The 33-year-old Belgian knows his role will be that of a teammate in most races, but feels ready for long shifts at the front. Again, because he's not heading to a completely unknown environment.

In the podcast Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, Campenaerts talks about his move to Visma. "I thought about it a lot," the former world hour record holder begins. "I wanted to be in the leading team in a grand tour again and get that respect."

"I have ambition myself, but riding for myself is not necessarily the best. I have achieved things, but it suits me best to ride at the front," the experienced rider indicates. "I can ride the pace at the front and excel in that."

Campenaerts dreams of delivering a new Tour winner together with his new employer. To achieve this, the winner of stage eighteen of the last Tour de France is prepared to do a lot of work at the front. "In the hills or even in the mountains," he indicates. "I would like to achieve those results with a team again."

Campenaerts already raced for LottoNL-Jumbo in 2016 and 2017. As at the time one of the top-timetrialists, he wasn't allowed to go all out in the time trial in the 2017 Giro by his team. This was because the Fleming had to save energy to support leader Steven Kruijswijk later in the Giro d'Italia. Campenaerts did not agree with this and came up with a joke as a protest.

The then 25-year-old rider started and finished the Giro time trial with his upper body bare, with the words 'Carlien, dating?' written on it in large letters. While the woman in question agreed, his team also did not appreciate his joke. "I underestimated its impact," Campenaerts told Thomas. "It went viral and the team was not happy about it, no. Richard Plugge even told me: we will put in the new contract that these jokes are no longer allowed."