Rabobank reportedly set to make shock return to the peloton with Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Cycling
More than 12 years after leaving the peloton, according to reports in the Netherlands, Rabobank are set to return to professional cycling and return to the fold as one of the main sponsors of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
According to a report by Wielerflits, this is a move that has been discussed behind the scenes for some time. "For over a year and a half, Rabobank has been in talks with Visma | Lease a Bike, first via team manager Richard Plugge and later via sports marketing agencies Kumpany and TIG Sports, about a return to cycling," they report. "Since Belgian Stefaan Decraene became CEO of the Dutch bank on 1 January 2023, Rabobank's management has been keen to cautiously discuss a possible 'return' to cycling."
The former title sponsor of the now-Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Rabobank were a recognisable sight in the peloton for nearly two decades. "Rabobank will also once again become a partner of the professional cycling teams (men, women and promises). It will take BetCity's place on the shirt from the upcoming Tour de France," Wielerflits says. "That company is currently still on the sides of the upper body. Gambling sites in the Netherlands will no longer be allowed to do sports sponsorship from 1 July 2025, which forced Betcity to stop supporting the cycling teams."
And although the reputation of the former Rabobank team was somewhat soured by doping, both alleged and proven, enough time has now more than likely passed to ensure a fresh, untainted opinion from the majority of cycling fans.
With Team Visma | Lease a Bike already one of the peloton's powerhouses, with multiple Grand Tour victories in the last few years and notable riders such as Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates among others, the extra sponsorship could give the Dutch-team an extra advantage in the fight against UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the coming years.
Rabobank va revenir dans le cyclisme et sera co-sponsor de la Visma-Lease a Bike à partir du 1er juillet selon plusieurs médias ! La banque néerlandaise va ainsi retrouver une structure dont elle était sponsor titre par le passé, entre 1996 et 2012 pour l'équipe masculine. pic.twitter.com/0K9QuEV2Ka
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) February 26, 2025
So they think cycling is all cleaned up now? I hope they are not going to be disappointed. Cycling just doesn't need another big scandal. I really hope we don't see that happen.
I hope Saunier Duval and US Postal will return to cycling too. Let's make cycling great again!
And a good one! Unless you have been around cycling fror a while, a lot of folk won't get it.
Thanks for the compliment. My real life friend told me that my jokes are lame. I appreciate it when someone finds mine funny. You're the best!
I got it was a joke but yes a lot of people won’t get the style of humour, especially those who equate the sponsor with team and rider choices and unfortunately, whenever a rider or team messed up, the media never hesitated to include the sponsor’s name in the story so it’s not surprising. Can you imagine the damage done to a company like Festina to have its name permanently associated? Lucky ONCE got out before things blew up.
A joke stops being funny when try to explain why it is funny. There is no need to overanalyize it and explain your understanding or anybody else's understanding of the joke.
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