“We received a lot of criticism for our tactics - it’s seen as stupid”: Departing Tiesj Benoot reflects on final unsuccessful Tour de France campaigns at Visma
Cycling
Tiesj Benoot has pushed back against criticism of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Tour de France tactics in recent seasons, insisting the team’s much debated approach was misunderstood despite ultimately falling short against Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the quest for the Maillot Jaune.
“We received a lot of criticism for our tactics, but we tried every single day,” Benoot reflected in a farewell video on Visma's channels. “Pogacar and UAE ultimately didn’t make any mistakes, even though we tried to force them into doing so. If it had paid off, people would have called it brilliant. Now it’s seen as stupid, which I still don’t agree with.”
The Belgian, who has left Visma this winter to join Decathlon CMA CGM Team, was part of the squad that repeatedly attempted to unseat Pogacar in the 2024 and 2025 Tours.
While neither campaign delivered overall success, Benoot maintains there was logic behind the decisions made on the road.
Inside Visma’s collective mindset
According to Benoot, one of Visma’s defining strengths was its collective buy in to a shared plan, something he believes remains undervalued across the peloton. “We always make a plan that everyone fully supports, which in my opinion is still underestimated in many teams,” he explained.
That approach was already evident early in his time with the Dutch squad. Benoot recalled the 2022 Tour de France, where individual success was secondary to wider objectives.
“When Wout won the stage to Calais after perfect teamwork, we didn’t celebrate it in the way I was used to,” he said. “You could really feel that we were aiming for more in that Tour: more stage wins, yellow and green.”
Benoot also highlighted the team’s internal culture as a key factor behind its sustained competitiveness. “Many teams, and companies too, could learn something from our feedback culture,” he added. “It’s also something very Dutch, I think. But that open communication really is the foundation of it.”
Looking back without regret
Despite the disappointment of the final Tours, Benoot leaves Team Visma | Lease a Bike with strong memories and no sense of unfinished business.
“What I’ll miss most are the friendships,” he said. “But we’ll keep seeing each other. I hope to keep racing at a good level for a few more years.”
For Benoot, the results may not always have matched the ambition, but the belief in how Visma raced remains unchanged.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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