“Jonas is of course our leader" - Team Visma | Lease a Bike reveal strong team to support returning Vingegaard at 2025 Criterium du Dauphine

After nearly three months away from competitive action, Jonas Vingegaard is set to return to racing this weekend at the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine. Supported by a strong block of Team Visma | Lease a Bike teammates, Vingegaard is also looking to send a message to Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel ahead of the upcoming Tour de France.

“The riders are in good shape. Most of them are coming back after a long altitude camp and are eager to return to racing," Visma's Head of Racing Grischa Niermann says in a pre-race press release on the team's official website. "The Dauphiné is of course a preparation race, but it’s also a proper competition. We’ll try to win it – simply because we always line up with the ambition to win.”

“The route is very tough. The time trial on day four is a good test of strength, and the final mountain stages are really challenging. That’s when we’ll see where we currently stand,” Niermann adds, hinting to past successes from the team in France. “Jonas won here two years ago, while Matteo Jorgenson was on the podium last year. Those are things that give us confidence heading into this week.”

As mentioned, with Vingegaard up against his leading Maillot Jaune rivals Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, it's a first chance to land a blow with the Tour de France in mind. “Jonas is of course our leader. The competition is strong – with Tadej Pogacar and also Remco Evenepoel – but we always focus on ourselves,” says Niermann. “It’s a great opportunity to see where we stand. We’re well prepared. Everything is on track.”

With Vingegaard joined by the aforementioned Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss among others, there is also chance for Visma to work on their own squad ahead of the Tour de France.

“The Dauphiné is ideal because it combines well with a final training block before the Tour. It has worked well for us in recent years – not just in terms of logistics, but also because the Dauphiné is a top-level race that never lies,” concludes the Visma man. “If we don’t win the Dauphiné, it’s not the end of the world. Obviously, the bigger goal is the Tour de France. But we’ll do everything we can to win the Dauphiné as well. Wherever we race, we race to win. That’s the ambition we all share.”

Jonas Vingegaard
Matteo Jorgenson
Per Strand Hagenes
Sepp Kuss
Ben Tulett
Attila Valter
Victor Campenaerts