Visma Lease a Bike manager believes cycling is at a crossroads: “Cycling is moving forward and backward”
Cycling
Richard Plugge, manager of the Visma Lease a Bike team,
believes cycling is advancing in some areas while regressing in others. After a
difficult season, Plugge and his team are hoping for a return to the dominance
they displayed back in 2023 as they look toward 2025.
Plugge, speaking with RIDE magazine, emphasized how
teams are becoming increasingly professional but noted that innovation is being
held back by certain authorities. “The control room is an innovation that was
applauded by various teams, with the highlight being a colleague who thanked us
for the inspiration for the future,” Plugge explained.
He went on to highlight key innovations that have moved the
sport forward. “The YouTube productions, the control room, our Foodcoach app or
the route app Veloviewer that all teams now use for information about the
courses. Apart from the (training) technical developments, these are
innovations that help the sport move forward.”
Plugge noted that innovation in cycling often comes from
collaboration and looking to other sports for inspiration. “We copy ideas from
others, others copy us. We look at other sports to learn. And those other
sports are our competitors in the battle for the attention of the fan,” Plugge
said.
He also pointed to the growing popularity of cycling,
crediting the excitement of recent races. “The fact that we are quite
successful is shown by the popularity of cycling through the attractiveness of
the races of the past years. Cycling teams are therefore taking more and more
steps towards an even more professional future, in which the sport and the fans
are central.”
In his column, Plugge also spoke about how much the sport
has evolved for fans. “The extent to which you as a fan can follow the sport
via the teams and riders, we as cycling fans could only dream of that less than
fifteen years ago. And the possibilities are even greater,” Plugge said.
However, despite these advancements, Plugge expressed
concern about the slow pace of progress. “While teams and riders innovate,
these innovations are being thwarted, stopped or even reversed,” he said,
highlighting the challenges the sport faces as it looks to the future.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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