Visma set to bet on 20-year-old British climber over new U23 world champion for final spot in World Tour roster in 2027
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Visma | Lease a Bike are reportedly set to fill the final spot on their roster for the 2027 season. After talks with Primoz Roglic ultimately led to the team ruling out a surprise transfer, the Dutch team are looking inside their structure to fill the final spot - choosing between an exciting British climber and the new U23 world champion.
Richard Plugge's outfit have already announced three signings during the transfer window, including the immediate arrival of Fabio Jakobsen from Picnic PostNL, Mark Donovan from Pinarello Q36.5 and Matisse Van Kerckhove from the team's development structure.
Wielerflits reports that the team had been searching for a transfer market bargain with a classics profile, but after little success, they've decided to look internally with 20-year-old Elliot Rowe and Montreal hero and new U23 world champion Ashlin Barry for the team's 30th place.
However, it's reported that Rowe is being preferred for the slot as he's further along in his development after two seasons at U23 level. A strong climber, Rowe has enjoyed success since joining the team's development structure - including a Tour de l'Avenir stage win and top ten overall at the Tour of Britain this season - although he was representing Great Britain on both occasions.
He represented Visma's main team on several occasions this season, and picked up strong results in La Fleche Ardennaise and the U23 Il Lombardia at the end of 2025 as he demonstrated his strong climbing prowess. A solid time trial pedigree also helps his case as a solid prospective stage racer.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Visma's strong Grand Tours
Meanwhile, Visma have seen their place in the UCI rankings come under threat over the past 18 months as other teams have been trying to butt in.
Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek are among the leading teams who have made no secret of their intentions to break the two teams' monopoly on cycling's top tables.
In fact, Red Bull did just that on paper as they finished in second place ahead of Visma - while Decathlon CMA CGM and Lidl-Trek are in pursuit behind the Dutch team.
However, one key statistic has pointed towards both Visma and rivals UAE Team Emirates-XRG are still dominating in the place that matters - Grand Tours. Not only did both teams win a three-week race, but their fingerprints are all over all three of cycling's biggest races.
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Strong Giro and Vuelta performances
When it comes to Grand Tour stage victories, both Visma and UAE lead the lines by some distance with 14 and 13 victories respectively. Their tallies are some way ahead of the rest of the WorldTour teams - with Soudal Quick-Step the next closest with seven Grand Tour wins.
Visma bested UAE thanks to their strong Giro and Vuelta campaigns. In the Corsa Rosa, Jonas Vingegaard led the lines with five stage wins on the way to the Maglia Rosa while Sepp Kuss also won the queen stage. In a quiet Tour, many forget that Visma won the opening team time trial.
Their 2026 Grand Tour campaign saw them dominate the Vuelta as Matthew Brennan took five stage wins and Wout van Aert added two more as the team took one-third of the stages on offer.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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