"It was a truly fantastic time over the past ten years" - Koen Bouwman emotional about Team Visma | Lease a Bike departure
Cycling
After ten seasons riding for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Koen Bouwman is set to depart for a new challenge in 2025 as the 30-year-old Dutchman joins Team Jayco AlUla on what is initially, a two-year deal. Before that comes though, a final ride in the iconic yellow and black at the 2024 Tour of Guangxi is taking place.
“It was a truly fantastic time. Over the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing people from whom I’ve learned a lot, which has helped me grow tremendously as a person," Bouwman reflects of his Team Visma | Lease a Bike departure to the team's official website. "I was never the most talented rider, but by working hard together with the team, I reached a solid level and was able to achieve some great victories.”
“I have so many wonderful memories,” Bouwman continues. “I’ve gone on so many incredible trips and always worked with a great group of people. I’m leaving a very warm environment, which made the decision to move on difficult. The team’s structure is unique, and I’ve really enjoyed it, which has led to many beautiful moments over the past few years.”
Over the course of his time at Visma, Bouwman won two stages of the Giro d'Italia, plus the King of the Mountains jersey in 2022, plus a stage of the Criterium du Dauphine in 2017 among a total of 6 victories in his professional career to date.
“I’m going to miss Koen a lot. He’s always been a tremendous team player and often thought of the team’s interests, otherwise, he probably could have won even more," adds Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Frans Maassen. "Koen is a really great guy and also just a strong rider. He has shown some special things and was an important part of building this team.”
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.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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“I’m really excited to give my all one last time for the team”, says Koen Bouwman. Read more in our preview 👇 teamvismaleaseabike.com/race-preview/n…
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