“Turning professional with this team is a dream come true” – The future is now as Visma’s 21-year-old duo prepare for first WorldTour season

Two riders. One pathway. One moment where development becomes reality.

In 2026, Tim Rex and Pietro Mattio will take their first steps as full professionals with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, beginning their WorldTour careers at the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia.

“Turning professional with this team is a dream come true,” Rex said in Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s official press release announcing the step-up.

For the full picture of how Rex and Mattio fit into Visma’s wider 2026 structure alongside Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and the rest of the squad, see our main hub: Visma confirm full 2026 plans of Van Aert, Vingegaard, Jorgenson and more.

Neither rider is a late addition. Both are products of Visma’s own development pathway.

Rex joined the structure last year and made an immediate impression with the Development Team, quickly earning chances with the WorldTeam. “Many of the races I rode with the WorldTeam even ended in victories,” he said. “Winning Coppi e Bartali with Ben Tulett and the Tour de l’Ain with Cian Uijtdebroeks was amazing.”

He also played a key role in Matthew Brennan’s victory at Denain. “I really enjoy working for a teammate. It’s great to ride for someone when you know he can win.”

Mattio’s route has been longer but just as deliberate. After three seasons in the Development Team, he now feels ready for the next level. “It’s a big step, but I feel ready for it,” he said. “I’m absolutely not afraid to join the professional peloton.”

For Mattio, joining Visma completely changed his cycling world. “Before this, I rode for a small club team in Italy,” he said. “When I joined Team Visma | Lease a Bike, I entered a completely different world.”

The difference, he says, is in the details. “Race preparation, training, nutrition; everything is done so professionally. Here, I learned what it really means to work together. We are not competitors, we are teammates.”

That idea of teamwork is central to how both riders talk about their future roles.

During winter camp, Mattio trained alongside riders he used to watch on television. “My goal is to perform at a good level throughout the entire season and support our leaders.”

Both riders know that 2026 is not about headlines. “This year is all about learning and gaining experience for me,” Rex said.

But learning does not mean lacking ambition. “My ultimate dream? One day lining up at the start of the Tour de France.”

At training camp, Rex shared a room with Victor Campenaerts, a rider with years of Grand Tour experience. “I can learn so much from him,” Rex said. “The whole team has really welcomed me. I feel myself improving all the time. I’m making big steps both physically and mentally.”

Their professional careers will begin far from home.

Rex and Mattio arrived in Australia in early January to prepare for the Santos Tour Down Under, their first race at WorldTour level. “It’s really nice to race that event together,” Rex said. “It feels familiar. Pietro is a real teammate with whom I immediately clicked.”

For Visma, their promotion is proof that the development system is working.

For Rex and Mattio, it is simpler. They are about to pin on numbers as WorldTour professionals for the first time. And neither of them plans to treat that as routine.