Marianne Vos signs career-long 'forever' contract with Visma-Lease a Bike

Marianne Vos will stay at Visma-Lease a bike until the day she decides to end her career.

The 37-year-old announced on Saturday that she has signed a lifetime contract with the WorldTour team, meaning she will ride for them “forever”.

The news comes seven months after Wout van Aert signed a similar career-long contract extension with the men’s squad, a deal that was unique at the time.

“Visma-Lease a Bike feels like home,” Vos said in a video shared across the team’s social media pages, “a safe and solid place where I can be myself, and where I feel fully supported and trusted to chase our shared dreams and goals.

“The memories we’ve created feel like a ride that never ends. That’s why I’ve decided – just like Wout van Aert – to stay here forever. Not literally for eternity, but at least until the end of my active career. How long that is, only the stars know.”

Vos joined Visma-Lease a Bike in 2021, having previously ridden for just one other team throughout her 20-year professional career – Rabobank-Liv, and all its different title names.

In four full seasons as a Visma-Lease a Bike rider, the Dutchwoman has won 24 races, including the Amstel Gold Race, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and multiple stages at each of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Giro d’Italia Donne and Vuelta Femenina.

Vos is the most successful female cyclist of all time, with a career tally of 255 victories. She has won three road world titles, eight cyclo-cross world titles, and is the reigning gravel world champion.

“Marianne is not only an exceptional champion, but also a role model for the entire team,” Visma-Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge said in a statement.

“Her drive to improve every day and her desire to continue developing herself perfectly align with who we are as a team. I am incredibly happy that she will remain part of the team until the end of her active career and continue building our story.”

Vos’s current season programme next sees her compete at the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday. She is then scheduled to line up at the Vuelta Femenina and Giro d’Italia Donne before July's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.