"I will never forget the Giro, Tour and Vuelta wins in the same year - that was absolute highlight" - Merjin Zeeman looks back at 12 years with Visma

Merijn Zeeman was an important link in the recent rise and success of Visma | Lease a Bike which culminated with unique Grand Tour hat-trick last year. Having reached the top of the cycling world, Zeeman decided it was the right time to move on from cycling as he accepted a management role in his home football club AZ Alkmaar.

It wasn't an easy decision, but one that feels right according to Zeeman, who is already learning the ropes of work in a completely different sport.

"I worked for the team for twelve years," Zeeman begins about his time with the Dutch WorldTour formation in an interview for his new employer.

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Back when Zeeman joined Belkin, the situation wasn't far from dire. The team was in a phase of rebuilding after a turbulent period. It took until that the team begun to seemingly bounce back. With lone leader in Dylan Groenewegen the team was yet to discover the full potential of Slovenian ski-jumper Primoz Roglic who would later go on to become synonymous with the Dutch team's golden era.

Eventually, the successor of Rabobank not only stepped out from the orange shadow, but even surpassed its legacy. "The team was led by Richard Plugge. I became sporting director in 2017. Before that, I worked for the team as a coach. We built the team with a lot of people in years when things weren’t going so well. We had some difficult years, especially after Rabobank left as a sponsor."

"Still, we built a team that has grown into the best team in the world," the new general manager continues. "In 2023, the absolute highlight was winning the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta in one year. That is a great memory. I will never forget that. I built friendships for life there. But I am now at AZ. I have now concluded that."

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