""I'm extremely proud of the team" - Team Visma | Lease a Bike find reason to smile despite more crashes at Tour Down Under
Cycling
The 2025 Tour Down Under concluded earlier today, with Sam Welsford sprinting to victory in the sixth and final stage, while Jhonatan Narvaez secured the overall classification, marking a strong start to the cycling season.
For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, their first outing of the season brought mixed fortunes. Despite losing both Dylan van Baarle and Loe van Belle to crashes earlier in the race, the team showcased its depth and talent, with notable performances from sprinter Matthew Brennan and GC rider Thomas Gloag.
Thomas Gloag finished eighth in the general classification, proving his growing consistency and potential as a GC contender. Reflecting on his performance, Gloag shared, “I'm pleased with how this week went. I've had a great time with the team and again showed myself at the highest level. I expected to do well in Australia, but achieving it would be fantastic. Now my focus is on the upcoming races, which I'm excited for."
Team manager Addy Engels expressed his pride in Gloag and the rest of the squad. "I'm extremely proud of the team. Matthew showed himself well and was in a good position again today," Engels said in a team press release.
The Tour Down Under also marked a significant milestone for three riders—Matthew Brennan, Tijmen Graat, and Menno Huising—who made their WorldTour debuts. Robbert de Groot, head of development at Visma | Lease a Bike, praised their performances and highlighted the team’s commitment to nurturing talent.
"They're all very different types of riders, as is Loe van Belle, another graduate of our Development Team. Each rider has unique qualities and a different development path, but we've been able to provide tailored support and help them grow. That's something we're very proud of, especially on a day like today," De Groot said.
De Groot further emphasised the importance of their development programme. "We've worked hard to see Matthew Brennan, Tijmen Graat, and Menno Huising make their WorldTour debuts and perform so well. It's a testament to our ability to scout the right talent and help them progress to the next level in their careers," he added.
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- Funny that they shorten women’s races but have no qualms about letting U23 do the same distances.Jumpyjohn23-03-2025
- Why is that relevant when discussing speed?Mistermaumau23-03-2025
- But he wasn’t the only one ;-)Mistermaumau23-03-2025
- Obviously the questions are more important to some here than to them or the team so I suggest looking for answers instead of asking questions between ourselves. We’ll probably get them unless someone actually goes to ask the protagonists themselves. Here are some starters : They like riding together; they have their own rivalry that helps bring out the best in both; they might get more points helping each other compared to racing separate races. In any case, unless we hear MJ complaining about it, I don’t think it’s going to change, it’s the Sepp Kuss syndrome all over again, fans lobbying against the will of the rider.Mistermaumau23-03-2025
- Mine goes to MVDP for entertaining us all year round :-) Stellar race, Ganna impressive in his own way as many predicted after some oddly lacklustre times.Mistermaumau23-03-2025
- i remember when not too long ago mathieu was regarded as a real tactical knucklehead. i’m not sure that was ever quite accurate, but it’s certainly the case that over the years he has become a real master tactician. in the biggest races, van der poel rarely makes choices that don’t fully optimize every specific advantage he has.OCexile23-03-2025
- Whatever the result, I believe the strategy by UAE to launch Pogacar was absolutely the right one. Unfortunately, they just were not able to execute it the way they must have planned, being all over the place at the start of the Cipressa.Cooldude23-03-2025
- They are without doubt not just the best two classics riders of this generation, but amongst the best of all time. MvdP is more suited to MSR and PR (which Pog has yet to race), while Pog is now almost untouchable at LBL and Lombardia. RVV is the only one where both basically have an equal chance to win.Cooldude23-03-2025
- bravissima!
maria2024202423-03-2025 - According to Tadej's Strava upload, he went up the Cipressa at an average speed of 37.6kph. Rocket ship! He did the 5.63km verified 'Cipressa' Strava segment in 8:59 minutes, which has a 4.3% average grade and total elevation gain of 229m. Naturally, he got the Strava KOM.Pogboom23-03-2025