OFFICIAL: Astana confirm signing of Intermarché - Wanty star after Visma abandoned talks despite three-year deal being agreed

We know now where Mike Teunissen will ride in 2025, after Team Visma | Lease a Bike abandoned transfer talks despite a three-year deal having been agreed for the Dutchman. As it turns out, Astana Qazaqstan Team can now call Teunissen their newest acquisition.

“This is a big challenge for me, and I’m looking forward to joining this project, which is both old and new at the same time, but with great ambitions," said Teunissen himself in an official press release by his newest employers. "On the one hand, Astana Qazaqstan Team is a completely new team for me, but I believe I can integrate quite easily, as there are already a few Dutch riders in the team. Now there will be one more. I’m grateful to the management for this opportunity and ready to give my best to achieve success with the team in the upcoming spring classics.”

“With Mike Teunissen joining the team, we will strengthen our classics group and, together with other riders, form the core for the spring classics," adds Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team. "It’s no secret that in recent years, we haven’t performed very well in these races, so we’ll try to change that in the new season. Teunissen is a strong domestique, but he is also capable of achieving results on his own in sprints, especially on challenging terrain. I think this is a great signing for our team.”

As reported on Tuesday night, Teunissen had initially agreed a three-year deal with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, that would have seen him return to the Dutch-based team as the experienced leadout man for Olav Kooij. Although things were agreed in principle earlier this year, talk went quiet over recent weeks though, leading Teunissen to look to secure a contract for next season and beyond elsewhere.