"They thought that Rohan Dennis had not ridden well" - Bart Lemmen recalls first impressing Jumbo-Visma in Gran Camino ITT
Cycling
The remarkable rise of Bart Lemmen from Air Force officer to Jumbo-Visma rider in just a couple of years has been one of the more interesting stories from this transfer window. According to the man himself, the seeds of his big move were planted at Gran Camino.
Last season, riding for Human Powered Health in his first professional campaign aged 28, Lemmen impressed Jumbo-Visma's riders and staff with a very impressive, individual time-trial performance at Gran Camino, finishing fourth on the day, only behind Jonas Vingegaard, Rohan Dennis and Will Barta.
"I flew back with a number of people from Jumbo-Visma," Lemmen recalls in conversation on the podcast De Grote Plaat. "I think I was talking to Frans Maassen (Jumbo-Visma Sports Director ed.) at the baggage claim and he said: well, we actually thought that Rohan Dennis had not ridden that well, but then it turned out that you had ridden a super time. For me it was the perfect time-trial, in terms of profile. Everything went well that day."
Going forward, can the late bloomer continue his rapid rise even higher? "Physically, there must still be something possible in terms of potential. This was my first year as a professional, so the first year of cycling of training, resting, eating... and I didn't stretch that all the way to the max," he assesses. "I don't dare say much about it yet. In my opinion you start at the bottom and see how good you are, but I hope that upward trend will continue for at least another year."
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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Front24208-11-2026
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