"They are so resilient. Real team players too" - Big praise for Jonas Vingegaard & Wout van Aert from Visma domestique

The two pillars of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, even in injury-hit seasons in 2024, the superstar duo of Jonas Vingegaard & Wout van Aert combined for a total of 14 victories. For Bart Lemmen, this was his first season at Visma and the impressive domestique has been left incredibly impressed by the impressions made by Vingegaard and Van Aert. 

"When you see what Jonas and Wout have endured…" the 29-year-old Lemmen begins his assessement of the two Team Visma | Lease a Bike leaders, in conversation with Wieler Revue, referencing the multiple nasty crashes Vingegaard and Van Aert suffered this season. "They are so resilient. Real team players too."

"Not that they are constantly busy with me, but they are both formally and informally the absolute leaders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike," continues Lemmen, who himself embarked on a first ever season at World Tour level in 2024. "They know exactly how to do that. It can be a thank you, but also a short explanation on how I can do things better next time."

As for his own debut season at Visma, Lemmen has left a good impression, including on team stalwart Robert Gesink, who recently praised his compatriot's leadership qualities. "I heard it. Robert said that team leader Addy Engels could leave the bus, but that's not how I experienced it. I had become the advanced pawn completely unexpectedly. You have to act on that in a certain way. That's what I did," Lemmen recalls of the Tour Down Under at the start of 2024. "In the end, it's also a bit of imitation of others. Probably not everyone would take the lead in his first race, which is why Robert noticed. I do remember saying that I wouldn't be dropped on the last bit uphill on the final climb."

"The funny thing is that I had to let go on that small stretch. Luckily I was able to return. That Tour Down Under was a great trip to start with. You're away with the team for two and a half weeks and you quickly build up a bond. That also gave me the freedom to take the lead. I certainly hadn't done that at the first training camp," Lemmen concludes.