11-rider ‘white jersey group’ from Visma | Lease a Bike: who are they, and what does it actually entail?

On Tuesday in La Nucia, Spain, Visma | Lease a Bike presented its goals for the 2025 cycling season, with the spotlight naturally on the Wout van Aerts, Jonas Vingegaards, and Olav Kooijs of this world. They’ll be supported next year by a number of experienced riders, but the Dutch team also has an 11-rider contingent of young talent who will be part of that effort. Who are they, and what could they achieve (potentially) in the future?

The Dutch squad has eleven riders on its WorldTour team who are 23 years old or younger. These riders have been labeled the “white jersey group” for 2025, with the aim of gradually preparing them for a leading role within the squad. They’ll work toward that step by step, much like Jonas Vingegaard did in the past for what was then Jumbo-Visma.

“We’ve put together solid plans for the coming season,” says sports manager Grischa Niermann about this group of riders. “For these younger riders, it’s crucial to have a race calendar that suits them. They get the opportunity to improve their skills and insights at the highest level, surrounded by experienced leaders like Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.”

Compared to recent years, Visma | Lease a Bike will race more events one level below the WorldTour in 2025. “We’ll enter some smaller races specifically to give our young talents the chance to compete for victories. We believe this will help them improve even faster,” Niermann explains. But who exactly are these eleven riders, and where and how might we see them competing in the upcoming season?

Matthew Brennan (Great Britain, 19 years old)

He’s the youngest of the bunch. Like many top British cyclists, he has a track racing background, but ultimately the road appealed to him more. At the start of 2024, he joined Visma | Lease a Bike’s development team at the age of 18, immediately winning his first two races in Croatia. By mid-May, he was already riding well for the WorldTour team in races like the Circuit de Wallonie and Rund um Köln, and he even claimed a stage victory in the Giro Next Gen.

The fast rider couldn’t secure any further wins for the rest of the year, but Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t hesitate to offer him a three-year contract on the WorldTour squad. “Matthew really surprised us, I must admit,” said Head of Development Robbert de Groot. “We knew he was a huge talent, but what he showed from the beginning to the end of the season was truly impressive.”

The 19-year-old Brit, who can also handle a few climbs, will get his first chance to shine at the highest level in January. He’s the designated sprinter for the Tour Down Under in Australia, where he’ll be up against the likes of Sam Welsford, Laurence Pithie, and Phil Bauhaus.

Jorgen Nordhagen (Norway, 20 years old)

Jorgen Nordhagen is possibly the most gifted rider—based on what we can gauge—within Visma | Lease a Bike. Ahead of the team presentation, the Dutch squad shared videos of Van Aert, Vingegaard, Yates, Kooij, Jorgenson, and yes, Nordhagen with the press. It says something about the Norwegian’s status, though it might also have to do with the fact that he shares the same nationality as the team’s main sponsor.

During the training camp, the team decided to have him room with two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard. “So I can always ask him questions. That’s good for me,” he said. “One of the first things we talked about was how he felt when he joined the team. He was in a similar situation, so we discussed that. In just a few years, he’s grown into one of the best Grand Tour contenders.”

Nordhagen, who until last winter combined cycling with cross-country skiing, will start his season in Oman. “There’s still a lot to learn. I want to establish a foundation first and then see what’s possible. Getting to know the system is important, so that’s my initial focus. It’ll be my first year with the WorldTour team, so I especially want to keep building my endurance. Winning would be nice, but learning is more important.”

Menno Huising (Netherlands, 20 years old)

Menno Huising, one of the two Dutch riders who made the jump from the development squad, is 20 years old and hails from South Holland. His move to the WorldTour is a logical step after two seasons with the Development Team, during which he won the Fleche Ardenaise in 2023 and most recently finished third in the Ronde de l’Isard and eleventh in the U23 Paris-Roubaix.

Huising has already raced a few events with the pro team and spent part of the summer at an altitude training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike’s Vuelta squad. “I’m lucky I was allowed to do it,” he said at the World Championships in Zurich. “I gained a lot of experience. It’s not something you take away in just the first month and a half, but rather career experience. Robert Gesink has as many years of pro experience as my entire life up to now. Rooming with Dylan van Baarle, who’s preparing for the Olympics, also helps. You see how they operate 24/7, even when they’re relaxing.”

Next season, the all-rounder will focus primarily on identifying his strengths and weaknesses at the WorldTour level, something he’ll get to do right away at the Tour Down Under, much like Brennan.

Niklas Behrens (Germany, 21 years old)

After Merijn Zeeman’s departure on October 1, Grischa Niermann is now in charge of recruitment at Visma | Lease a Bike. At the media day in Spain, we asked which signing he’s proudest of from his first transfer window. His answer: “Niklas Behrens.” Why? “We signed him on the first day of the Vuelta, before he finished second in the U23 European Championships and became world champion in that category.”

Behrens, who missed the press day due to illness, is therefore a top-tier talent. The imposing rider from Bremen, standing 1.95 meters tall, has a background in swimming and triathlon and has only fully dedicated himself to cycling for three years. Over the past year, he drew attention riding for Lidl-Trek’s development team. “He hasn’t been racing for long, and he still has a big margin for growth. We’re convinced we can guide him to the next step in his still-young career,” Niermann said of his compatriot, who signed a three-year contract.

Behrens can time trial, sprint, and proved in Zurich that he can handle hilly terrain as well. In the coming year, he’ll get the chance to show his capabilities for Visma | Lease a Bike in races like GP Samyn and GP Denain. “I’m not sure if he’ll ride the Tour of Flanders right away,” Niermann said, “but via a Denain or a Samyn, he could ride himself onto the Paris-Roubaix roster. And if he can contend for the win in a race like that, well, that’s already a big event for such a young rider.” In addition, he’ll occasionally lend a hand for sprinter Olav Kooij.

Per Strand Hagenes (Norway, 21 years old)

Per Strand Hagenes watched as his close friend Johannes Staune-Mittet left Visma | Lease a Bike prematurely for a contract with Decathlon AG2R, but opted to sign an improved deal himself through 2027. It’s hardly surprising, given the powerhouse Norwegian won three pro races in 2023 as a trainee (!) with Jumbo-Visma: a stage in the Four Days of Dunkirk, plus the one-day events Ronde van Drenthe and Sparkassen Münsterland Giro.

That’s why, in his first pro year, he was already included in the “Wout van Aert track”: after riding the Volta ao Algarve and the Opening Weekend, he went to altitude camp before returning for the E3 Saxo Classic. Unfortunately, he was the first to feel the setbacks Visma | Lease a Bike faced last year: just a few kilometers in, he broke his nose in a crash. Even so, he still managed a respectable debut in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Later in the fall, he showed further glimpses of his talent, although it might have gone somewhat unnoticed by the broader public amid a busy racing schedule. First, he claimed third in the Renewi Tour, then put in a strong performance to finish fifth in the GP Quebec. That may well serve as a solid springboard for next year, when the team will be counting on him once again. “Per may very well have taken another step,” team leader Wout van Aert already remarked.

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Belgium, 21 years old)

Cian Uijtdebroeks may be one of the most recognizable names in the “white jersey group” to the general public, but that doesn’t mean he’s outgrown that group of riders. In fact, Visma | Lease a Bike wants to take him back to basics. Last season, he rode two Grand Tours, both of which he had to abandon. Was it overtaxing his young body? Perhaps not entirely, but it likely wasn’t far off.

Uijtdebroeks had to leave the Giro from a promising position due to illness, and in the Vuelta he struggled with a physical power limitation. His back gave him trouble, but the team says that’s been resolved heading into 2025. Still, they’re wary of pushing the 21-year-old Belgian—who’s now entering his fourth pro year—too hard.

That’s why Visma | Lease a Bike decided to ease Uijtdebroeks into the upcoming season. It means he definitely won’t ride the Giro or Tour, and there’s still no certainty about the Vuelta. First, the team wants him to compete for top spots in races like the Tour of Oman, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de Romandie, and the Tour de Suisse.

Tijmen Graat (Netherlands, 22 years old)

While Uijtdebroeks is about to begin his fourth pro season, Dutch climber Tijmen Graat is set to start his first as a true WorldTour pro. That’s not surprising, given that he only took up cycling later in life. In 2019, he tore a ligament in his ankle while playing soccer, forcing him onto a bike to stay active. Before long, he was dropping his dad and his dad’s friends, prompting him to take the sport more seriously.

As a result, Graat joined the Jumbo-Visma development team in 2022, where he continued to progress over three seasons and secured a pro contract after just one year. Last season, he confirmed his climbing talent with an impressive third place in the Tour de l’Avenir, behind top prospects Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech) and Pablo Torres (now UAE-Team Emirates XRG).

Graat will line up alongside Brennan and Huising for his first race in Australia, where the Tour Down Under will kick off the WorldTour season next week.

Loe van Belle (Netherlands, 22 years old)

Loe van Belle will also be riding the Tour Down Under, but for the man from Zoetermeer, 2025 is already his second year on Visma | Lease a Bike’s WorldTour squad. He moved up from the U23 ranks as an all-rounder, but in 2024, the decision was made to focus on the classics. As a neo-pro, he did a solid job with positioning, while still managing to show himself in less heavily contested races.

Van Belle was one of the riders who had to end the 2024 season early for Visma | Lease a Bike. In his case, it was due to a shoulder fracture sustained in July after a crash in the Tour de Wallonie. That meant the end of his season at that time, which is also likely part of the reason he’s starting 2025 right out of the gate.

For someone like Van Belle, Visma | Lease a Bike’s expanded race schedule will be a real bonus, as those are precisely the kind of races where he’ll be able to have fun and fully express his talents.

Olav Kooij (Netherlands, 23 years old)

Yes, Olav Kooij is technically still part of Visma | Lease a Bike’s “white jersey group,” given his age. But let’s be honest: with 36 professional wins under his belt, and about to enter his fifth season at the highest level, he has long since outgrown that category. After all, we’re talking about a rider who has won multiple (WorldTour) classics and stages in Grand Tours as well as races like Paris-Nice and the UAE Tour.

Kooij will start his season in Oman. “After that, from the Opening Weekend through Gent–Wevelgem, I want to perform well, including Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, which I’ve never raced before. Then I’ll ride Tirreno–Adriatico, Milan–San Remo, Brugge–De Panne, and Gent–Wevelgem, before preparing for the Giro. Hopefully, I can take my chances, although it always depends on how the races unfold.”

Not being allowed to ride the Tour is, of course, disappointing for him. “Naturally, I would have loved to do the Tour, but I realized quite early on that it wouldn’t be on the cards this season. The Giro is also a beautiful race, and with a good lead-out, I’m hoping to seize my opportunities there too,” the fast finisher told IDLProCycling.com.

Thomas Gloag (Great Britain, 23 years old)

Visma | Lease a Bike has been leaning more toward British riders in recent years. Next year, the team will feature four riders from that country, three of whom are part of the group of young talents. One of them is 23-year-old Thomas Gloag, who is about to begin his third season with the Dutch squad. So far, it’s been a journey with some highs, but mostly lows.

He kicked off the 2023 season strongly in February with a sixth-place finish at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Then, on the back of an eleventh-place showing in the Tour de Romandie, he received a last-minute call-up for the Giro d’Italia, which he managed to finish. However, his progress took a major hit in the summer after a crash left him with a shattered kneecap—basically in every place it could break.

Gloag returned to racing at the end of July and won a stage in the Czech Cycling Tour on just his third day of competition. But just over a month later, bad luck struck again when he broke both of his elbows in a training crash—an injury he has since recovered from. Even before the turn of the year, he traveled to Australia for the Tour Down Under, where he will be the team’s designated GC rider for Visma | Lease a Bike.

Ben Tulett (Great Britain, age 23)

Ben Tulett is the last rider to fall within Visma | Lease a Bike’s U23 category, with the threshold set by 25-year-old Matteo Jorgenson and 26-year-olds Attila Valter and Axel Zingle. The rest of the squad is 28 or older. Despite this, Tulett is already quite experienced, as he’s heading into his sixth year as a pro. He spent two seasons at Alpecin-Fenix, then two years with INEOS, and is now about to start his second year at Visma | Lease a Bike.

The short Brit, a former junior cyclo-cross world champion, was slated—like Gloag, Huising, Graat, Van Belle, and Brennan—to race the Tour Down Under. There, he might have aimed for a good overall result, but he was not fit enough to travel and was replaced by Julien Vermote. It’s a shame for him, as bad luck also meant he didn’t get many racing days in 2024.

His spring campaign was derailed by illness during the Vuelta al País Vasco. He was then set to prepare for the Vuelta a España at a high-altitude training camp, but crashed in the Vuelta a Burgos—his final tune-up race—and broke his shoulder, ruling him out of the Spanish Grand Tour. It’s still uncertain which race will mark his 2025 season debut.

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