Visma's new signing "has potential Wout van Aert qualities" according to Jan Bakelants

The story of Niklas Behrens is an interesting one. The 21-year old only began racing at a high level last year and after being scouted through social media, in 2024 he got a spot at Lidl-Trek's development team. He has stormed to a brilliant world title in Zurich and Team Visma | Lease a Bike knew of this great talent beforehand, a transfer that was brilliantly outlined according to Jan Bakelants.

“They picked up Trek Futures U23 world champion Niklas Behrens from Lidl. He is someone who can handle a variety of courses and physiologically – a bold statement, I realize – has potential Wout van Aert qualities," Bakelants told Het Laatste Nieuws. The German rider is (according to ProCyclingStats) 1.95 meters tall and 80Kg heavy. The weight of a track rider, sprinter or time-trialist usually; but Behrens won the world title in a course that suited the classics specialists and climbers.

His victory in Zurich was quite impressive and the way he climbed with some great climbing talents in the steep ascents proved his versatility. There is certainly an immense potential in the Dutch team's new rider who may become a big star in the coming years if he can perform the same way.

Alongside Victor Campenaerts and Axel Zingle the German will provide more firepower for the team's classics block, but the Belgian doesn't believe the team needed to improve, but instead more importantly avoid injuries and illnesses that ruined their 2024 spring. “We just hope now that the classic core will also be spared from crashes, injuries and illness. So that the collective strength can be optimally played out and the main bird can finally be shot, especially in the Tour of Flanders and/or Paris-Roubaix.” Of course, Wout van Aert being the priority still, but plenty other riders having the ability to win big.

He is also very keen on the signing of Simon Yates, who he believes could even provide some insight into UAE Team Emirates who they will want to beat at the Tour de France: “Then you are not only buying the classification rider and a piece of the internal kitchen from Jayco-AlUla, but also indirectly from UAE Team Emirates. I assume that Simon still keeps in touch with his twin brother Adam, one of Pogacar's master domestiques, on a regular basis. And that can provide some useful knowledge transfer in that way.”