Shock on the transfer market: Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale buys Norwegian talent out of his contract with Visma | Lease a Bike

Visma | Lease a Bike is losing the 22-year-old talent Johannes Staune-Mittet, WielerFlits reports. The Norwegian had a contract with the Dutch WorldTeam until the end of 2026. However, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale has bought out the contract to allow the youngster transfer to the French team from next year onwards.

Staune-Mittet started his road career at the Visma | Lease a Bike development team, where he spent three years before switching to the main team last season on a three-year deal. However now it's becoming clear that this contract won't be respected in its full length. After an underwhelming year without any stand-out results, the Norwegian will seek his luck elsewhere.

He's made a strong impression at the U23 category. Staune-Mittet's highlight was the overall victory at the Giro Next Gen last year alongside stage win in the queen stage with finish on the mythical Passo dello Stelvio. Later in the season the Norwegian seemed to be on his way to podium at the Czech Tour (2.1) after having won the queen stage ahead of Florian Lipowitz and Rein Taaramae, however an illness took him out of the race ahead of the final stage. A year earlier, Staune-Mittet was very strong in popular French U23 stage races, winning the Ronde de l'Isard and finishing 2nd at the 2022 Tour de l'Avenir behind current teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks.

According to WielerFlits, Staune-Mittet is switching to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, because he'll get more opportunities to ride for his himself in races rather than in the stacked Dutch team. He is also more likely to be selected for more attractive races with the French team. With the departure of Ben O'Connor (currently leading the Vuelta a Espana) to Jayco AlUla, there is room for a new leader for the stage races. Whether Staune-Mittet can fill up the empty spot is yet to be seen.