OFFICIAL: Visma finally confirms signing of young French talent - "The team’s story and the plans they have really convinced me"
Cycling
It is a signing that had been in the works for months, but was only seemingly allowed to be made public at the start of 2026. As the year begins, Team Visma | Lease a Bike officially welcome Louis Barré of Intermarché - Wanty in the team.
This is a move that had already been expected for a while, with the Frenchman being linked to the team since the depths of the winter amidst the Lotto-Intermarché merger which rendered Intermarché's contracts virtually invalid. He was training in Spain with the Dutch team as well, confirming the two were closely tied already.
“Louis caught our eye during the tougher one-day races. He achieved some great results there, and he also showed himself in the Dauphiné," DS Grischa Niermann said in a press release. "He is still relatively young and has good potential for growth. We believe he can continue to develop within our team and see him as a strong addition to our lineup for the demanding hilly classics.”
The 25-year old had his best year so far in 2025, finishing sixth at the Amstel Gold Race and the GP de Montréal, but also providing a few strong performances throughout the year at World Tour level and other races below. Like Axel Zingle and several other recent transfers of Visma, he is a rider with some degree of success, and the team is looking to get the full potential out of him.
Barré believes in improvement
“The team’s story and the plans they have really convinced me,” the former Intermarché - Wanty rider argued. “Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one of the best teams in the world, and I believe that with the support and structure here I can make significant progress. The team is innovative in every area: nutrition, equipment, training camps, and more. I want to challenge myself, and I think this is where I can become the best version of myself.”
His role will vary throughout the year certainly, but will also depend on how he evolves as a rider. But the classics are where he should perform best. “I want to keep focusing on the hilly classics because that’s where I perform best. But I’m also looking forward to improving in week-long stage races and supporting the best general-classification riders in the world when they fight for victory.”
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- A great route aswell. Col D'Arcy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horribleRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
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En route pour 2028 🖌️ Welcome Louis!
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