“It is very special to now be on the same side” - Former world champion who twice denied Marianne Vos rainbow glory joins Visma as sports director
Cycling
One of Marianne Vos' biggest former rivals will be on her side from 2027. Giorgia Bronzini, the two-time road world champion who twice beat Vos to the rainbow jersey, is joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike as a sports director from the start of next season.
Bronzini arrives with extensive experience from both sides of the team car. The Italian moved directly into sports directing after ending her racing career in 2018 and has since worked with Trek-Segafredo, Liv Racing and Human Powered Health.
Her move to Visma now puts her alongside a rider she spent years trying to beat.
"Marianne and I raced against each other for many years, and there was always a lot of respect between us," Bronzini says. "It is very special to now be on the same side and to have the opportunity to support Marianne achieve her goals. I'm really looking forward to that, as well as to working with the whole team and seeing what we can achieve together."
Marianne Vos has 259 pro wins on her palmares to date
Twice standing between Vos and the rainbow jersey
Few riders played a bigger part in Vos' World Championship frustrations than Bronzini. The Italian beat her to gold in Geelong in 2010 before doing so again in Copenhagen 12 months later. That second defeat left Vos with a remarkable fifth consecutive silver medal in the elite road race before she finally regained the rainbow jersey in Valkenburg in 2012.
Bronzini finished her own career with three elite world titles across road and track, but outright speed was only part of what made her successful. Reading opponents and judging how races were developing became hallmarks of her approach, something she carried into the team car almost immediately after retirement.
Early in her directing career, Bronzini spoke about wanting riders to understand tactical decisions rather than simply wait for instructions over the radio. Seven years later, that philosophy closely matches the job Visma have brought her in to perform.
Read also
Visma hand Bronzini key development role
Team manager Rutger Tijssen says Bronzini will work particularly closely with the younger riders in Visma's squad. "Giorgia will be dedicated to working with our younger riders, particularly on their tactical development and understanding of how to read a race," he explains. "She also wants to help us to take the combination of performance and racing a step further."
Tijssen had already crossed paths with Bronzini at races before the appointment and says her enthusiasm, work ethic and approach to supporting riders stood out alongside her experience.
Bronzini herself was attracted by Visma's emphasis on development as well as results, saying she was "really inspired" by the team's philosophy and its constant pursuit of improvement.
Her move continues a coaching career that began almost as soon as her racing one ended. Bronzini signed off as a professional by winning the final race of her career in Madrid in 2018; by the time she takes her place in the Visma team car next season, she will have spent eight years putting that racing experience to use from the other side of the radio.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- After Quebec, I compared how Remco looked there versus the Tour and he was significantly bigger. Obviously Tour climbing shape is not what is needed for the classics, but the difference was too much. From then on I wasn't optimistic going into GP de Montréal and the Worlds. I was quite sure that he'd smoke the TT but with the climby stuff no. In contrast, Mathieu van der Poel looked thinner than he does normally. All in all, Remco didn't put everything into the road race for fear of losing the time trial. But with the margin he won by, he could very well have cut down on sone of the weight
Rafionain-Glas01-10-2026 - Hindsight really. Van der Poel didn't lose because he was caught, he lost because he let McNulty goRafionain-Glas01-10-2026
- Very sad. My sympathies to his family and friendsAndy12301-10-2026
- They mean from the Elite ranks.awp01-10-2026
- Sure, Pogi didn’t win anything last year before Kigali. That makes perfect sense.BenAflec01-10-2026
- The article is wrong. It was literally last year when a rider had the WC as their first win of the year.mobk01-10-2026
- I think they had their roles planned and executed to a T. Also i dont think Jorgenson blacklist exists in races other than TDF. He is primarily chased down because he is favorite.abstractengineer01-10-2026
- You still show yourself as a CLOWN with your TDS ! Once a CLOWN always a CLOWN !frieders301-10-2026
- This is just crazy what ifs. Nobody knew Remco, Sexias and Del Toro would be weaker compared to the Canadian Races. I think MVDP himself wasn't in great form, good not great. He had early attack as his only choice on this circuit. His only mistake was to repeatedly attack his breakaway companions with whom he was trying to cooperate. This way he at least got Bronze else he would have ended like the riders who waited and failed like Ayuso, Mas etcabstractengineer01-10-2026
- Lance bringing up why mcnulty not only appear on tdf roster is cause UAE is beyond stacked and also in 2025 mcnulty wanted to prioritize OL chances which meant TDF peaking wasnt ideal.miguel01-10-2026
Loading
Write a comment