“It’s not a marriage for life” - Dario Igor Belletta recounts his psychological ordeal at Visma

Dario Igor Belletta, one of the brightest prospects in Italian cycling, has finally lifted the lid on the mystery surrounding his unexpected departure from Team Visma - Lease a Bike in March 2025.

After joining the Dutch development setup in 2023 at just 18, his trajectory seemed aligned with one of the world’s leading talent pipelines. However, his contract was terminated early at the start of last year, with the team offering little detail about the split at the time.

Now, the Italian reflects on that period with gratitude but with the conviction that change was essential for his mental health and sporting development. Belletta is generous in his praise for the team’s working methods, while admitting that the demands and rigidity of its structure eventually wore him down.

He describes the experience as akin to elite academic growth, stating that “it’s the best university where you can learn to be a cyclist. I was very happy to race there, I still am, and I think it’s the best place in the world to develop as a rider.”

Excellence, however, came with a toll the young rider was not willing to keep paying, and he ultimately chose to seek a base closer to home and to his cultural roots.

The core reason for the separation was not a single dispute but an irreconcilable split in the roadmap both parties had for the future. Belletta felt his identity as a rider was being diluted within the collective objectives of a setup that leaves no room for chance or mental downtime, pushing him to seek a less suffocating environment.

In the end, the need to rediscover the joy of racing took him back to Italy to join smaller teams before making his full professional debut this season with Polti. The Italian stresses that closing his chapter in the Netherlands was a necessary step in maturity, an amicable break that has allowed him to find the balance he now enjoys in his new squad.

In his latest comments, the rider was unequivocal about what forced his exit: “We just weren’t on the same wavelength. We didn’t share the same vision and the split happened naturally. It’s not a marriage where you have to stay with the team forever. As you grow, you want to chase your own goals and the team has its own. I don’t regret what I did. I just wanted my own space and didn’t want extra stress. I preferred to take it more calmly, go back home, and race with an Italian team to grow step by step and have my own opportunities”, he told wielerflits.

Now, with WorldTour experience behind him and far less pressure, Belletta approaches his professional debut feeling supported by an environment that speaks his language and better respects his development rhythm.