"We had expected more from guys like Sepp Kuss and Wilco Kelderman" - Visma coach on mixed Algarve, injuries and classics
Cycling
Mathieu Heijboer is the head of performance at Team Visma | Lease a Bike and over the past week, much of the team was out to race. The leader of the Dutch team has had positive signs in a winning Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert at the Volta ao Algarve, but little else as the team struggled through
Regarding the Portuguese race, the headliner of the week: "Yes, I had expected a little more. In the mountain stage in the Algarve where Jonas finished sixth, we had expected more from guys like Sepp Kuss and Wilco Kelderman. They didn't show what we saw in training at that time," Heijboer said in the WielerOrakel podcast. Vingegaard was almost isolated in the climb to the Alto da Fóia, a rare instance, and only a brilliant time-trial awarded him with the GC win. The team was not at the expected level as a whole, and the same happened at the UAE Tour
Illness plowed through the team, leaving several riders out of the race, and with no riders finishing high on GC. "In the UAE Tour too, things didn't go the way we wanted. Our main goal was to win stages with Olav Kooij, but that didn't happen at all due to illness. We also expected more from Bart Lemmen and Thomas Gloag. Just like them."
Outside of the results sheet things have not been going perfectly either, with Christophe Laporte having his preparation for the classics delayed due to illness and missing the Opening Weekend, whilst Niklas Behrens has suffered a fractured collarbone. Dylan van Baarle, who has been swarmed by injuries ever since joining Visma, is also skipping Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne due to injury.
"He has so much class and it is not that he started without condition," he said of Wout van Aert who will lead the team at Omloop. "He is good enough to play a role in Omloop, but at the same time there are more important races, where he starts lighter and has completed an altitude training camp. There is still room for improvement in his condition."
The team's classics block is having some issues, but it will be hard to have more bad luck than the previous spring. "The original plan for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has changed, because we had counted on Laporte. He had been the shadow leader. And Niklas broke his collarbone, but with Wout and Matteo the leaders are at the start."
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— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) February 23, 2025
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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