"It has never happened that a team wins Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico at the same time" - Team Visma | Lease a Bike continue to make cycling history

After their history-making season in 2023 that saw Team Visma | Lease a Bike complete the Grand Tour hat-trick, Richard Plugge's team has continued to make history in 2024.

"I hope the winning doesn't stop," laughs a beaming Plugge in conversation with Sporza after seeing Matteo Jorgenson and Jonas Vingegaard make it another successful week for the team with their respective wins at Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. "It has never happened that a team wins Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico at the same time. But we want to write sports history. We are also very proud of the way in which we do this, with each other and with different riders."

Whilst Vingegaard's victory was somewhat expected, the performance of new signing Jorgenson was more of a revelation. "I am very proud of him," says Plugge. "He is just new to the team and he was looking for the environment that we can offer him. He is such a cool guy. He has a great personality. He fits us perfectly, he shows that with the way he rides."

Is the American now poised to lead Team Visma | Lease a Bike in a Grand Tour? "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Plugge assesses. "He did a very smart job here with that attack at the right time three days ago. There he already took an advantage over the main competitors, in this case: Remco Evenepoel. He senses that instinctively. And he was among the strongest riders, if not the strongest."