Team Visma | Lease a Bike looking to reinforce itself with an experienced British classics specialist
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike are looking for reinforcements into the 2027 season and one seems to be agreed on. Mark Donovan of Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is reported to be a high-priority target for the Dutch team.
The move may come as a surprise, but following a trend of Visma's signings over the past few years. Failing to match the financial means of teams such as UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe or Lidl-Trek, the Dutch team has placed bets on riders coming from second division teams, whose potential they feel hadn't been reached to its fullest.
Last winter the team signed riders such as Davide Piganzoli and Louis Barré who have been performing at an incredibly high level, and recently the team also placed a bet on Fabio Jakobsen with a contract until the end of 2027. By doing this, the team aims to acquire quality riders at a lower cost, whilst having to choose not hiring massive under-23 promises.
Mark Donovan a fit in Visma's trend
It could be that Mark Donovan is another rider whom the team has the same purpose for. According to Wielerflits, an agreement has been reached already and the 27-year old will be joining the team from next season onwards.
Donovan turned pro in 2018 with the late Team Wiggins Le Col and moved on to the currently named Team Picnic PostNL in its prime years, starting in 2020. However the Briton wasn't one of the riders who reached an incredibly high level, and has settled for a more modest role within Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team - where he continued to have some leadership opportunities nevertheless.
Donovan's sole win took place at the 2023 Sibiu Cycling Tour, where he won the overall classification. In 2025, he was second at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and also the Muur Classic Geraardsbergen.
The Briton is a puncheur, a well suited rider for the hilly classics. He was 17th at Tirreno-Adriatico this year, and recently has finished third at the Sibiu Cycling Tour, 14th at the Tour de Pologne and 12th at the Arctic Race of Norway.
Mark Donovan is set to join Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Who else might join Donovan?
Visma have been putting a lot of emphasis on classics specialists, and that does not come as a coincidence. In 2026, the Dutch team set themselves the goal of winning a monument - which they have, with Wout Van Aert at Paris-Roubaix.
One of their rumoured signings is Davide Ballerini, who would come to reinforce the team's classics block as well as the leadout crew for a growing Matthew Brennan.
Simultaneously, the successful signing of Louis Barré is just one indicator that the team's work and transfer strategy has been working successfully. There have been rumours during the month of July that the team is also working on bringing Natnael Tesfatsion into the team.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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