'We're not going to be winning as much as we did last year' - Visma-Lease a Bike prepare for post-Primož Roglič world
Dutch squad are ready to be the chased rather than the chaser, stalwart Robert Gesink says
A spectre is haunting Visma-Lease a Bike - the spectre of Primož Roglič.
The Dutch team, formerly Jumbo-Visma, have undergone more than a name change this winter, thanks to the departure of their former star rider, the three-time Vuelta a España victor and reigning Giro d'Italia champion, Roglič.
The Slovenian won 55 WorldTour races for the Dutch outfit over his eight seasons with the squad, with those Grand Tour wins the highlight, but countless others. Arguably, the 34-year-old has been the best stage racer of his generation, picking up wins at all sorts of week-long events, from Tirreno-Adriatico to Itzulia Basque Country. His loss, as a result of his off-season move to Bora-Hansgrohe, will be felt keenly.
Visma-Lease a Bike are not pretending to be bullish about the hole that Roglič will leave - far from it, in fact. The team which won all three Grand Tours in 2023 will be weaker this year, and they know it. Everyone knows it.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly at in Australia, Visma stalwart Robert Gesink, in his 18th and final season with the squad, explained that it's "definitely going to be a loss".
"We're totally aware that now Primož has gone that we're not going to be winning as much as we did last year, because Primož was just insane," the 37-year-old said. "Every race he started he basically won, so that's going to definitely be a loss in terms of the amount of victories we will get...
"Primož, and guys like that, I mean, there's only a few of them in the world. So it's not as easy as copying that. With Primož, you were sure that you could go to a race and have a guy for the victory. With other guys you might need a few years to get to that point."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Dutchman has been through Visma in all its iterations, from the late days of Rabobank, through its re-emergence as LottoNL-Jumbo, to all-conquering Jumbo-Visma, and now Visma-Lease a Bike.
While it did not technically end 2023 as the best team, according to the UCI - that honour went to UAE Team Emirates - it felt like the best team, with all three Grand Tours in the bag. It will be a hard act to follow, one which has proved difficult for other teams. Ineos Grenadiers, for example, once the top team in the world, are now looking to reinvigorate themselves, rather than seeing off all.
That's something Visma is trying not to repeat as it sets a new course as a team to be beaten, rather than trying to beat others. There's only one place at the top of the slippery pole of cycling.
"The team is trying to try to learn from that," Gesink said. "From their mistakes perhaps, or do better. The idea of the team has changed from we are chasing the first to now to being chased.
"With bigger budgets coming in that's not always easy, in the future either. But for now, I think we have a really strong group of riders and also some young guys with great potential to work with."
Those bigger budgets include Bora-Hansgrohe, thanks to their impending takeover by Red Bull; one can only speculate at present as to how that will affect the wider WorldTour ecosystem.
Visma-Lease a Bike remain at the top, with Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert yet to unleash their power this season. With Cian Uijtdebroeks and Johannes Staune-Mittet coming through, they should be more than fine, but Roglič will certainly leave a hole, and his spectre will continue to worry the Dutch team.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.
-
Tweets of the week: Pogačar can be beaten, Pidcock meets the royals, and Remco's an Arsenal fan
Sadly for Tadej Pogačar, serial winning doesn't seem to apply to go karting
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Friday roundup: Rapha does sportswear, Oakley meets PNS and Restrap makes a vest
Two new clothing lines, some hi-tech smart glasses and a hydration vest to inspire you to ride further
By Luke Friend Published
-
‘For a guy my size, it’d be a big challenge’ - Matteo Jorgenson rules out Grand Tour ambitions
American says he’s not a three-week option for Visma-Lease a Bike
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Primož Roglič to miss Liège-Bastogne-Liège in order to recover for Tour de France
Slovenian was caught up in the horror crash on stage four of Itzulia Basque country
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel caught up in huge crash at Itzulia Basque Country
Race neutralised as horror crash sees three of the favourites caught up in incident
By Adam Becket Published
-
Wout van Aert’s Classics dreams go up in smoke, but all is not lost for Visma-Lease a Bike
Attention turns to another promising squad member after their talisman is ruled out of Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel-Gold Race with 'several fractures'
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert 'in a good place' ahead of Tour of Flanders despite Visma-Lease a Bike illness and injury crisis
Loss of Christophe Laporte and Dylan van Baarle 'a big blow' says DS Grischa Niermann as team builds for Monument double header
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Sepp Kuss calls for patience on his form as he declares 'I still have room to grow'
The Grand Tour winner is on course for his second successive one week stage race top-10
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Wout van Aert gears towards career-defining fortnight in new, enlightened mindset
Belgian admits pressure has weighed heavily on his shoulders in the past as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix come around once more
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Visma-Lease a Bike say they want to be the All Blacks or Chicago Bulls of cycling, but is this possible?
The Dutch super team might be winning it all, but can they create a legacy?
By Adam Becket Published