With two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard among their ranks, Visma | Lease a Bike are the prime favourites to challenge Tadej Pogacar for his Tour de France throne. With a strong mountain team only UAE can match, the Dutch team will hold the thrumps. And their ace in the sleeve is undeniably Wout Van Aert.
First things first though, the team around Danish leader needs to play it cool in what can turn into a chaotic first week. "We've had several of these types of approaches and we all know that it can be hectic," knows sports director Arthur van Dongen in an interview with In de Leiderstrui.
The parcours are one thing, but nobody wants to make a mistake in the relatively easy opening stages. With riders riding on their limit to prevent such mistakes, that's usually where chaos unfolds. "Everyone wants to be at the front and I think that the classification teams will invest a lot in being at the front, while the sprint teams will also make an effort."
"Some stages are a bit more difficult in the final, so that can also provide a spectacle. I hope that there will not be any classification riders who will be beaten by minutes or even worse, which I don't want to think about. But with this course structure, which I understand from the point of view that this is also France, it is always more dangerous than a Florence or Bilbao. That brings a lot of danger with it and that can be exciting."
Obviously, the big goal of Visma | Lease a Bike for the Tour de France is an overall triumph with Jonas Vingegaard - something the whole team is prepared to sacrifice themselves for. No exceptions. Not even for Wout van Aert. The Belgian played a crucial role in the Simon Yates' ultimate coup at the Giro d'Italia and there was no question about selecting the 30-year-old for his second Grand Tour in 2025.
But there's also plenty stages for Van Aert in the opening week and the team is not planning to completely restrict his chances. "With Wout we will choose the days, but the big main goal is clear and that is that Jonas gets through those days safely."
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment