Visma | Lease a Bike enrich their ranks with another dev team graduate

Visma | Lease a Bike will continue to bet on their own development programme, as much can be deduced from their transfer market activity. Next to Pietro Mattio, also the 21-year-old Tim Rex has been confirmed to be making the step up to WorldTour in 2026.

"He immediately proved himself as a strong, dedicated, and versatile rider," said Head of Development Robbert de Groot. "We’ve used him in various roles, including several times already with the WorldTeam, and he’s performed well and completed his tasks everywhere. Additionally, his personality fits very well with us - he’s eager to learn and works in a structured way."

Tim started as a mountain biker and only started to take his first steps on road with the development team of Intermarché - Wanty in 2023. At that time, it seemed like two brothers (Laurenz Rex rides for the World Tour team) would eventually join forces in the Belgian team. But their paths split when Tim chose to pursue his future with Visma | Lease a Bike Development Team ahead of the new season.

"This was the ideal scenario I had in mind when I joined the Development Team last year," Rex said. "I’ve worked hard all year and consistently fulfilled my role for the team, both in U23 races and the professional races I’ve already ridden. I’m looking forward to experiencing the WorldTour level next year."

The younger of Rex brother is yet to score a stand-out result, but so much is clear that while his older brother is successful at the biggest cobbled classics, Tim is more versatile with natural affinity to climbing.

"Hopefully, I can become a strong support rider at that level over time. During the Giro NextGen, I was the last man in the mountains for Jørgen Nordhagen, and that gave me a lot of satisfaction.”

Grischa Niermann, Head of Racing, is pleased that after Pietro Mattio, another rider will be taking the step up from the team’s development program. "It’s a great story and proves that we’re doing good work there," said the German. "Tim has shown great promise as a support rider, and we’ve gotten to know him well over the past year. He has a big engine, climbs well, and is really versatile. We’re happy he’s making the step up.”