Team Visma | Lease a Bike says goodbye to DS that guided team to Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana wins
CyclingTuesday, 01 October 2024 at 11:27
This morning began with some news from the Team Visma | Lease a Bike field that is relatively important. Merijn Zeeman, head DS of the team and the man who guided the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Wout van Aert to many big wins, will leave the team.
In a message shared on social media, alongside a lengthy video paying tribute to Zeeman, the team shared this message: "Yesterday marked Merijn Zeeman’s final day with our team. He left us with deep gratitude for everything he brought, unforgettable moments, a lasting impact on our team, and this beautiful message. All the best for the future, Merijn!
"As I say goodbye to Team Visma | Lease a Bike I can't help but reflect on the incredible journey we have shared. When I first joined we were seen as underdogs, but through hard work and resilience and belief in one another we transformed into one of the best cycling teams in the world. It's been a journey I'm deeply proud to have been part of," Zeeman shared in a message.
Zeeman's presence in the team is one that is undeniably crucial. Although other DS' over the year have gained notoriety over also being able to manage a lot of big egos within a very strong team, Zeeman's work during the Grand Tours saw the team conquer many throughout the 2020's - including two Tour de France editions. In 2023, the team won all three with Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss respectively. During the important days, as well as often being the case in the cobbled classics, Zeeman was the man behind the wheel.
There are so many unforgettable moments: Dylan Groenewegen's win on the Champs-Élysées; Steven Kruijswijk's Tour de France podium; Primoz Roglic his Giro victory, his first Vuelta; Jonas Vingegaard back-to-back Tour wins; the Vuelta podium sweep; Wout van Aert's triumphs and leadership; the rise of our women's team and the growth of our youth riders. And so many great athletes, I can't name them all but I am proud of each and every one of them," he says. The Dutch team became an example for many World Tour structures over the past years, being the strongest structure in several seasons including 2023 despite not having the budget of other teams such as UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers.
"Alongside these highs came moments of heartbtreak, near-misses and crashes but with every setback we grew stronger. Winning all three Grand Tours in one season still feels surreal, and standing on those podiums brought immense pride. What I will miss most though isn't just the victories, it's the culture we built together; the values, the passion, friendship and shared determination is what makes this team so special, what sets up apart is that everyone matters."
"Every voice, every role and every effort counts. Together we built a culture of unity and trust, always putting the team first, that is what makes me proud. Although my time here ends, I will always be cheering you on. it's been unforgettable and I'm proud to have shared it with you," he concluded.
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- He wins the Vuelta because the best don't show up. With how he rides, he's better for the TdF but not good enough for who showsVeganpotter07-05-2025
- True, but unless Tadej or Jonas fall off their bike or get sick, no one is going to beat them. The 2014 Tour was decided by the Shark of Messina long before Contador or Froome were injured. I miss Nibali.awp07-05-2025
- Everyone thought Froome or Contador had the 2014 Tour locked up, and look what happened. Anything can occur in a race.itsent07-05-2025
- The handbags are already out aren't they? Let's see who pulls for who.Renz07-05-2025
- "I think they forgot last year, and when Jonas was injured," and I think you forgot 2023 L-B-L, when Tadej was injured and had to improvise a training without bike. Tadej only could riding a "normal" bike again only 2 weeks before the Tour. That TT he couldn't knowing well at all.
maria2024202407-05-2025 - It's unfortunate a rider of his caliber hasn't won the Tour de France and I can't fault him for trying, in fact, I respect it. But he never will win the Tour as long as Tadej and Jonas are in the peloton, and we might as well add Remco to that list as he is the youngest and seems to be coming up quickly behind Tadej and Jonas. I hope Primoz can capture another Giro and maybe another Vuelta before he calls it a day.awp07-05-2025
- "He breaks the conventions we once held", yeah, Tadej es disruptive, unique. Perhaps because he doesn't come from a family/country with tradition in cycling, so the "laws" of cycling were unknown to him and he was just looking/seeking to have fun. Traditions are beautiful but sometimes can be limiting.maria2024202407-05-2025
- I'd win so much money off Blythe on this one!bobo07-05-2025
- "The Giro d'Italia 2024 saw a strong increase in audience figures across RAI networks, especially on Rai2 and RaiSport HD. The race also experienced a significant boost in online engagement, with record numbers of website visitors, video views, and media articles. The event reached over 700 million viewers worldwide...." Sorry, but Pogacar is boring only for ... envious? ex-riders.maria2024202406-05-2025
- It's always the way in pro cycling - 1 rider wins and the rest,instead of working with each other to topple the better rider, they ride behind said rider collecting scraps that're left...
leedorney06-05-2025
Leadership matters - just ask Ineos, who has been in a kind of slow-motion freefall without Brailsford and Portal. TVL still has Plugge and the rest of the leaderhship team that that built a former backmarker into a powerhouse, and (crucially) they still have Wout, Jonas, Matteo, and other top riders. But with UAE, Bora, and others stepping up their games (and their budgets), TVL will have to continue growing and adapting to remain on the top rung. Whether they can find someone to replace Zeeman is a question that could impact the whole sport.
Indeed leadership matters, as long as it is good leadership as with your example of a post Brailsford INEOS. I don't know so I am only asking is Zeeman that good?
It's much more of a fast freefall than a slow one😅
It is but I can see Visma joining them in the not too distant future.
I would not put the downfall as being solely or even mainly due to those 2 leaving. A lot of Sky’s advantage at the time came due to simply being able to spend more which had nothing to do with them. Certain decisions (transfers/strategies) were taken above them, they were just executing what the top brass wanted.
It is highly likely that due to marketing returns on investment considerations at the time, the team was filled up with anglo (not much point in Ineos making a name for itself outside its main sales areas) riders amap, this may have changed later due to lack of available talent in the pool).
Obviously it was an easier time to win, there were no Tadej, Jonas, Remco, even Primoz was just getting started and Ineos didn’t spot their potential because their focus was on breeding domestiques to propulse a leader (Sky train).
What has happened which affects things more than anything is top brass having lost their passion for cycling, perhaps because they see fighting Tadej, Remco and Jonas asa lost cause, perhaps because the marketing objectives from cycling have been achieved and will anyway continue a while, perhaps because there’s more to be gained from that bigger sport where the big money is?
I have to warn though, buck for buck they’ll never get as much out of that sport as they did from cycling but maybe they realised that this was as much as you can squeeze out of sponsoring cycling. No matter how great Merckx or Tadej may seem to us, to Joe Public they remain complete strangers, the only truly globally known cyclist is only known for all the wrong reasons.
I challenge you to ask someone in the street to name 3 cyclists, there will be him if any, maybe a past or current national and you’ll be lucky to get a 3rd.