Remembering Visma's last contract controversy, signing Wout van Aert in 2019
Cycling
Richard Plugge's Team Visma | Lease a Bike are the talk of the cycling world at the moment after they announced the arrival of Cian Uijtdebroeks, only to see BORA - hansgrohe deny the deal in a counter statement.
However, this isn't the first time Visma have been involved in such controversy. Going back to 2019, their acquisition of Wout van Aert also came under scrutiny. Whilst he's now one of the biggest names in the peloton, back then the Belgian was an upcoming name on the road, although he did have three Cyclocross World Championship titles to his name.
Riding for Sniper Cycling at the time, also known as Vérandas Willems-Crelan, Jumbo-Visma were one of many teams circling for van Aert's signature. Intent on making him the centrepiece of their Classics challenge, Visma initially secured the Belgian's arrival for the 2020 season.
When van Aert raised concerns over his team's proposed merger however, he broke his contract a year early and joined Jumbo-Visma quicker than expected. "Things have all gone faster than planned and we can welcome him to our team earlier," said Plugge at the time. “That’s very good news for the team, because we’re getting stronger. He’s a very big talent and we hope to be able to develop him into the Classics rider we all see in him.”
In the current controversy, BORA - hansgrohe are reportedly demanding a one million euro buyout payment for Visma for Uijtdebroeks' signing. In the van Aert deal, the transfer went through the Belgian court system and in the end, a payment of €662,000 was ordered to Sniper Cycling boss Nick Nuyens.
Fans hate this side of the business because it undermines the romance they feel about their favorite athlete or team, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it. Contracts are not servitude. They can be terminated or altered by either party under specified circumstances, and doing so is not improper. It doesn't even have to be acrimonious, as we saw with TJV and Primoz. It's just business, and all parties are entitled to serve their own interests.
The "it's just business" attitude led to the doping scandals we have seen over and over. Morality should also count for something.
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