"The riders and team management are simply convinced of their own qualities" - Nathan Van Hooydonck on Team Visma | Lease a Bike's secret to success
Cycling
'Opening Weekend' of the 2024 Classics season unquestionably belonged to Team Visma | Lease a Bike after a hat-trick of successes through Jan Tratnik, Marianne Vos and Wout van Aert.
One man who was watching the action unfold at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, was the recently retired, former Team Visma | Lease a Bike star, Nathan Van Hooydonck. Whilst he'd probably have wished to have been in-and-amongst the racing, the Belgian delightedly watched the victories roll in for his former employers. “As a rider of that team, I was able to experience that myself," he says on the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast for HLN.
But just what is the secret to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's continued success? Van Hooydonck can give some kind of insight into that. "Within that team they simply take little or no account of the opposition," he explains. "It's not like we're laughing at the other teams. That's the biggest mistake you can make. The riders and team management are simply convinced of their own qualities.”
“A certain tactic is explained for each race,” Van Hooydonck continues. “If the riders believe in it, that tactic will be followed 100 percent. It's that simple. Of course, you also have to have the riders to carry out everything down to the last detail. It is also not the case that there are 50 scenarios ready for each race. You just have to know what to expect from each other for every race.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
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- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
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