“Vingegaard is not Pogacar, who would win the Giro on his own” – Italian ex-pro warns Simon Yates surprise retirement leaves Visma vulnerable

Simon Yates stepped away at the very moment Team Visma | Lease a Bike were still building around him. The timing of his immediate retirement has already reshaped their season planning. Now an Italian former pro has gone further, warning that Yates’ absence leaves Visma exposed in the biggest races.

Moreno Moser, speaking to Bici.Pro, drew a blunt line between what Visma have lost and what that means for Jonas Vingegaard.

“He needs the team. He is not Pogacar, who would win the Giro even on his own,” Moser put forward as his argument.

That single line captures the shift created by Yates’ departure. He was not only a leader in his own right, but also a key mountain support for Vingegaard. Without him, Visma face a season in which depth, rather than star power, becomes the real question.

Yates’ retirement removed two roles at once. He was a rider who could target general classification himself, and a rider who could act as a high level lieutenant for others. Visma’s own management admitted they had not expected the decision and that he was irreplaceable so late in the winter.

Moser sees the impact most clearly around Vingegaard. “For Vingegaard his loss is a big problem,” he said. “Yates’ departure weakens Visma considerably.”

He went further, suggesting this is not just about one rider leaving, but about a longer trend. “They were already no longer the ‘battleship’ of a few years ago, especially in the mountains,” Moser said.

That matters because Yates’ final season had underlined exactly what Visma were leaning on. He won the Giro d'Italia, then went straight into Tour de France preparation and still took a stage. He was central to their story. Removing him changes not just the line up, but the logic behind it.

Moser also placed Visma’s problem in a wider context. He compared their situation to the squads around them. “Compared with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and even more with UAE, Visma are at a disadvantage: they have quantity and quality,” he said.

Those teams can lose one climber and still field multiple alternatives. Visma, by contrast, now have fewer margin for error. Riders like Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Steven Kruijswijk and Wilco Kelderman remain, but the safety net is thinner than it was when Yates was still part of the plan.

It is not a criticism of Vingegaard’s ability, but a statement about style. He wins through structure, control and support. Take away one of the pillars of that structure and the whole shape changes.

Moser does not expect Visma to pretend nothing has happened. He believes the loss of Yates will push them toward a different racing style. “Given the weakening of the team, I already see a defensive strategy,” he said. “They will ride to save energy.”

He even predicts the reaction. “I can already hear the criticism: ‘They do not attack’, ‘They always wait’,” Moser said.

Moser also floated the idea that Visma may have to look in unexpected places. “And what if the man for the mountains were Davide Piganzoli?” he said.

Rather than chasing a like-for-like replacement for Yates, the team may have to reshape roles internally and accept that no single rider will fill the gap he left.

That fits with what has already emerged since the retirement. Visma have been reported as still weighing their options, with no obvious solution available so late in the winter. The market cannot easily replace a Grand Tour winner in January.

Yates did not leave because he could no longer compete. He left after winning the Giro and a Tour stage in the same season. Visma described that year as one of their major successes.

For the rider, it was a rare ending at the top. For the team, it was a problem created by timing.

Without Simon Yates, Visma’s strength now depends less on one star and more on whether the structure around Vingegaard can hold. That is why, in the eyes of the Italian ex-pro, Yates’ surprise retirement has left Visma not just changed, but vulnerable.