Top Visma rider's agent explains departure in search of freedom - "Top talent and a key rider for the Grand Tours in the coming years"
Cycling
The signing of Johannes Staune-Mittet to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale is one of the most surprising moves of this winter, taking into consideration the potential of the Norwegian but mainly the fact that his contract was broken in order to change teams. His agent Bart van Haaren has revealed the team did not create obstacles for the move and that it could not offer what Staune-Mitter wanted.
The Dutch team had full right to keep the 22-year old on board, but it did not want to force the rider against his will, and there was openness towards allowing him to seek better chances elsewhere. "This move is not out of dissatisfaction, just one with a heavy heart. But he sees that this transition is best for his career now," van Haaren told Wielerflits.
"It is extraordinary that Visma | Lease a Bike is cooperating with this. They could also have thought 'this is a top rider and is still with us for a few years for a relatively low salary'. But Merijn [Zeeman] and Richard Plugge have been very honest about what they could and could not offer. Both athletically and financially. We appreciate that enormously, and I think that is also positive. They will not easily say that about themselves, which is why it is good to mention that".
Visma is a team which is highly desired by top and young riders alike due to their efficient way of structuring the team and racing. Some riders even joined on a lower salary then they had in previous teams. For Staune-Mittet, who was fruit of the team's development program, it felt like a golden opportunity to evolve next to the likes as Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic for example, whilst having the same infrastructure.
But being part of a top team also demands a lot of the riders, specially those who are not riders that immediately become world-class riders after turning pro. The Norwegian was the winner of the under-23 Giro d'Italia in 2023 and turned pro this year, but he did not have the opportunities he hoped for:
"Johannes hasn't completed a Grand Tour to date. A Grand Tour is exciting if you are not the most explosive rider but must rely on long endurance efforts. Only at Visma | Lease a Bike do they ride every Grand Tour for the overall victory." This last statement can be contested, but it can't be ignored that the competition just to fill the spots in the three-week races is extremely demanding, and it does not always benefit young riders who have to prove themselves against experienced and seasoned domestiques.
The team gave freedom, and he signed a three-year deal with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale who give him a higher salary and a clear desire of developing him into a Grand Tour contender for the years to come. "Johannes is going to make a step forward athletically. There is also a huge financial upgrade that Visma | Lease a Bike could not offer either. Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale is happy because they are bringing in top talent and a key rider for the Grand Tours in the coming years."
There is a schedule in place and a lot of ambition with this surprising transfer, one which may bring big fruits to the French team. "His whole program and the division of roles is already known to him for all those seasons. This includes, for example, which Grand Tour he will ride next year, but also which races he will gradually become a leader. Of course, this is an exciting choice. But one that gives Johannes more freedom to do what he does well," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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