U23 World Champion Niklas Behrens makes a good "impression" at Visma's welcome party: "It went down like soda"
Cycling
The season preparations are already well underway with most teams putting in important kilometers in Spain. This is no different at Visma | Lease a Bike. But before the first training camps, the Dutch formation traditionally organised a season-end party for both departing riders and this time also for the newcomers. One of them was a veteran of nine seasons with the team - Koen Bouwman who, at the age of 31, heads towards a new adventure.
It was already known that Wout van Aert would once again perform as The Squirrel at the closing party, as he had done so previously in the Belgian TV show The Masked Singer. Bouwman, who will be riding for Team Jayco AlUla next season, shared a few more nice stories from the reunion.
For example, he told about the alcoholic refreshments during the closing party. Bouwman himself stuck to something else, but not everyone followed the suit. "I don't drink coffee, but I also hardly ever drink alcohol," Bouwman began his story about the farewell party at De Rode Lantaarn. "I wanted to say that I could count it on one hand, but actually I could count it on one finger how often I drink alcohol in a year."
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Asked about the 'tastemakers' at the party, Bouwman simply answers. "Simon Yates did well at the closing party," said Bouwman about the Briton. "He was in the oil. Normally the closing party is only for the old boys, but this time the new riders were there too. Great fun of course."
And Yates wasn't the only newcomer who immediately made his mark. "Niklas Behrens, who came over from the Lidl-Trek promises and this year's world champion among the promises. A big guy, boy, not normal. That boy has a big engine in him, haha. It went down like soda. We're going to hear a lot more from him," Bouwman concluded with a laugh.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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