Team Visma | Lease a Bike sign Bruno Armirail from Decathlon for 2026

On the same day Olav Kooij’s move to Decathlon was announced, Team Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed they have secured the signing of Bruno Armirail from Decathlon for 2026. The French time trial specialist, a three-time national champion who currently holds the tricolor jersey in the discipline, will be leaving his home team to join the Dutch super team next season

“This is a unique opportunity in my career to race for one of the best teams in the world,” Armirail said in Visma’s press release. “I want to challenge myself by changing environment and race for a foreign team for the first time. I'm also looking forward to being part of a team that can compete for victory in nearly every race. I expect to play an important support role in the major races, but I also hope to keep improving in time trials, on climbs, and in controlling breakaways.”

Visma’s head of racing, Grischa Niermann, praised the qualities that Armirail brings to the set up. “He’s suitable for all terrains,” Niermann explained. “He brings a lot of experience and clearly has a big engine. But we believe that within our professional environment, he can still take further steps in his development.”

The switch is the latest move in a busy transfer market between Visma and Decathlon. Just last week, Tiesj Benoot was confirmed to be leaving Visma for Decathlon, while today’s announcement of Kooij’s transfer in the opposite direction underlined the strong flow of business between the two teams.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, set to rebrand as Decathlon CMA CGM in 2026, have been reinforcing their squad heavily. Alongside Kooij and Benoot, the French team announced the arrivals of Cees Bol and Robbe Ghys to strengthen their sprint train.

“Together with the group around Olav, we will have the ambition to win races at the highest level. After racing in various roles over the years, I hope to add value to both the sprint team and the classics team,” Bol said of his move.

Ghys echoed the excitement about the long-term project. “I feel honored to be part of this long-term project,” he said. “Over the next three years, I look forward to fully developing myself and dedicating myself to a key role in the team's success. The trust I receive from this team makes me feel at home. I'm incredibly excited to start working towards the coming year.”