“One of the most shocking rumours I’ve ever heard... It’s been painful to watch Fabio Jakobsen the past few years” – Expert stunned by Visma transfer speculation

Fabio Jakobsen was being discussed as a rider who might soon retire. Weeks later, the former Tour de France stage winner is reportedly close to joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

That reversal has left TV 2 Sport cycling analyst Emil Axelgaard stunned. During the Tour de France, the Dane had suggested it might not be long before Jakobsen ended his career. Instead, the Dutch sprinter could now be handed an unexpected opportunity by one of the biggest teams in cycling.

WielerFlits reports that Jakobsen is nearing an agreement with Visma after leaving Team Picnic PostNL on 31 July, six months before the scheduled end of his contract. A deal is reportedly close, with an immediate move before the end of the 2026 season also under consideration.

Jakobsen has looked a long way removed from the rider who once won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana. His recent struggles made another WorldTour opportunity appear increasingly unlikely.

“It is one of the most shocking rumours I have ever heard, but WielerFlits usually have a good handle on their sources, so it is probably true,” Axelgaard told TV 2 Sport. “It is a signing I did not see coming at all. In fact, in response to a question in the Tour liveblog, I wrote that it probably would not be long before Jakobsen announced his retirement. Instead, he is now apparently heading to one of the biggest teams in the sport.”

Jakobsen won five Vuelta a Espana stages during his years with Quick-Step, twice claimed Scheldeprijs and became European road champion in 2022. His Tour de France victory in Nyborg that same year completed a remarkable return from the life-threatening crash he suffered at the 2020 Tour of Poland. Jakobsen sustained severe facial injuries in the accident before fighting his way back to the highest level of sprinting.

A move to Picnic ahead of the 2024 season was supposed to establish him as the leader of a new sprint project. His only victory for the team came at the 2024 Tour of Turkiye.

Jakobsen underwent surgery on both iliac arteries in April 2025 after restricted blood flow contributed to his physical difficulties. A broken collarbone then interrupted his return, while the hoped-for recovery has still not appeared consistently in competition during 2026.

Picnic had stopped committing its riders to Jakobsen in bunch finishes. Reaching the decisive kilometres had become as much of a problem as producing the sprint itself.

“The team has completely stopped riding for him in the sprints, and he still finds it very difficult to finish races,” Axelgaard said. “In reality, he has not been at the level required to be a professional, as has also been discussed in the Dutch media. He has contested two bunch sprints this year, finishing 15th and 16th at the UAE Tour, while he has abandoned the majority of his races in Europe.”

Visma have been left without an established pure sprinter since Olav Kooij moved to Decathlon CMA CGM Team before the 2026 season. Matthew Brennan has continued his rapid rise, but the 20-year-old is capable of winning across a far broader range of races. Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte also offer speed after difficult races, rather than the profile of a conventional bunch-sprint specialist.

“Visma need a sprinter,” Axelgaard said. “Having someone like Matthew Brennan is not enough, and it is slightly problematic, for example, that they are riding the Tour of Poland this week without a sprinter. They are taking an absolutely enormous chance with Jakobsen. Of course, he is nowhere near the salary bracket he used to be in, but if his level is the same as it has been over the past few years, he will not even be able to sprint for them. He would simply be there to make up the numbers.”

Jakobsen lives close to Visma head of performance Mathieu Heijboer and is reported to have trained with him regularly over the years. That existing relationship may have given the team a clearer view of his condition than his recent results alone.

Visma would first need to restore Jakobsen’s endurance before thoughts could turn to the finishing speed that once made him one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton.

Axelgaard also raised Jakobsen’s nationality as a possible consideration. Visma have faced criticism in the Netherlands over the declining number of Dutch riders in their increasingly international squad.

That would not be enough on its own to justify the signing. Jakobsen has not won for 28 months and has spent much of 2026 far from the front of WorldTour races.

“But whatever the reason, I hope Visma have some data which indicates that there is a realistic chance of making the project work,” Axelgaard said. “If it does succeed, however, it would be truly beautiful. It has been painful to watch Jakobsen over the past few years, and it has been such a shame that his physical problems have ruined a promising career.”

Jakobsen has already rebuilt his career once. Visma’s reported interest suggests they are prepared to see whether he can do it again.