Visma has signed only two riders into 2027 and have only 1 spot remaining - Who will be chosen for it?
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike has had a notoriously lackluster transfer market into the 2027 season, and at the time being only one position remains. Who will the Dutch team choose and sign this winter to complete its roster?
On the 13th of January, in La Nucia, Mattise van Kerckhove first spoke out as the team's new signing into the 2027 season. Days after the retirement of Simon Yates, the team switched gears and put forward its sight of the future.
On that day the Dutch team opened up its transfer list into the 2027 season. But since that day, over nine months ago, only one more rider has been made official in the team: Mark Donovan.
The team entered the 1st of January with 30 riders but quickly saw the number come down to 29. From seemingly nowhere, Giro d'Italia champion Simon Yates made the decision to end his career in the sport, and left the team with a hole in terms of its potential for the Grand Tours.
Ultimately, the team has filled its 30th spot with the opening of the transfer market back in August, with Fabio Jakobsen. The Dutch sprinter has had a few rough years with injuries that have prevented him from reaching his level of the early 2020's, however appears motivated and rising in level now away from Team Picnic PostNL.
By all means, Jakobsen is a signing for 2027, only made official earlier as Team Picnic PostNL agreed to mutually terminate the contract mid-season. Jakobsen is a signing for the 2026 season however, and Matisse van Kerckhove was announced in January but his contract with the World Tour team would only begin in 2027.
Mark Donovan of Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has been its only signing confirmed after August with a contract beginning in 2027. The British rider was a surprise addition to the team, coming in as a domestique - after two years working for Tom Pidcock in the Swiss team.
Pinarello's Mark Donovan is Visma's latest signing
One rider left without a contract at Visma
The team has 29 riders signed into 2027. Steven Kruijswijk is also retiring from the sport, whilst not a single rider from the team has signed elsewhere. Loe van Belle is the only rider who remains in the limbo, without a contract for next year yet. It could be that van Belle, 24, could be the chosen rider.
The 24-year old moved into the World Tour structure in 2024, but has not seemingly impressed enough to be within the team's first choices. He hasn't raced a Grand Tour or taken a pro win, mostly racing as a domestique in his three-year stint with the team.
Van Belle was 11th at the Copenhagen Sprint, and has recently taken up Top10 finishes at the ZLM Tour and the ongoing Tour of Guangxi, showing his potential as a fast man in the sprints or lead-out man. But with only one position left to fill, he finds himself in a tough position with the team, where he may be chosen but only if the team does not succeed in signing a new rider.
A quality rider, van Belle's future in pro cycling is not likely to reach a dead end, but his stay in the World Tour is not assured.
Visma fail to capitalize on transfer market
The truth is the Dutch team is not in its current position by choice. It has simply not been able to sign some of the riders it had been connected. A few names were very prominently linked to the team, but decided on a future away from the 'bees'.
Movistar's Natnael Tesfatsion, a puncheur and strong UCI point scorer this year, was on the radar of Visma but renewed with the Spanish team. Davide Ballerini of XDS Astana Team was, months ago, looking like a done deal, but that was ultimately not the case. The Italian signed with Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, even stepping away from the World Tour.
There were talks of interest in Paul Seixas. A move is unlikely, but not impossible; however this could only happen in 2028 if the Frenchman happens to choose not renewing his current contract with the team.
Visma reportedly lost the negotiation battle for Giro d'Italia stage winner Davide Ballerini
Under-23 World Champion to turn pro?
The Dutch team has recently struck a major signing: Matisse van Kerckhove's younger brother Seff. The 18-year old is one of the most highly rated juniors this year and was under contract with Decathlon's development ranks. The team will continue to bet on its future, as had happened with the success stories of Matthew Brennan, Olav Kooij and others.
But with one position left to fill, it would not be unexpected to see one of the team's under-23 riders agree to a premature leap into the elite squad. Three names jump out. The first is 20-year old Polish rider Patryk Goszczumy, KOM classification winner at the Tour de l'Ain; under-23 time trial national champion and Top10 finisher on several stages of O Gran Camiño earlier this year. Although not a set leader, the eastern European rider appears set for a World Tour move in the future.
The second is Henry Hobbs, younger brother of EF Education-EasyPost sprinter Noah Hobbs. The Briton is in his first year with the team and has impressed immensely, recently winning with the elite team at the ZLM Tour - ahead of Lidl-Trek's Max Walscheid.
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But the most likely name is under-23 World Champion Ashlin Barry. The American rider has also only jumped into the U23 ranks this year and has just turned 19, but has some racing experience with the elite team and has shown a level that makes proves he is ready for the elite level.
The American under-23 road race champion has won a stage at the Olympia's Tour; finished 15th with the elite team at the chaotic Antwerp Port Epic; and has recently won the under-23 worlds with a breakaway move that displayed climbing ability, endurance, time trialing skills and tactical knowhow. Barry has a contract with the team currently lasting until 2029 so he isn't a rider at risk of departing, but the Dutch team may want to provide him with the experience and opportunity to already race at the highest level.
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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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Brucegel17-10-2026 - is that the standard for sharing thoughts here?OCexile17-10-2026
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Rafionain-Glas17-10-2026 - Globalisation of pro cyclingRafionain-Glas17-10-2026
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