Besides Kooij, 10 more riders are out of contract at Visma | Lease a Bike: "I don’t know if they have other options"

While UAE Team Emirates–XRG continues to sign one superstar or top talent after another, Visma | Lease a Bike is sticking with the team it already has—both now and for the future. That’s what general manager Richard Plugge told cycling journalist Daniel Benson.

Visma | Lease a Bike already has 18 riders signed through 2026, and Plugge is eager to extend several expiring contracts. In total, 11 riders from the current roster are out of contract. Specifically: Tiesj Benoot, Thomas Gloag, Wilco Kelderman, Olav Kooij, Steven Kruijswijk, Daniel McLay, Ben Tulett, Attila Valter, Dylan van Baarle, Tosh Van der Sande, and Julien Vermote. “We have a strong team and want to keep it as strong as possible,” Plugge said.

Among those 11 names are some standout riders, starting with Kooij. He signed a contract extension two years ago with the promise of more sprint opportunities and a shot at the spring classics. Now, the Dutch sprint star is facing a similar decision, knowing he’s eager to ride the Tour de France. “Olav is one of the best sprinters in the world, and of course we’d be happy if he stays. But that also depends on what he wants and how he sees things.”

Read more below the photo.

Will Benoot and Van Baarle choose to stay longer?

Plugge points to the rapid rise of 19-year-old sprinting talent Matthew Brennan. “And we can also win sprints with Wout van Aert. We’re strong in that area, but of course Olav is very interesting to keep on board,” the big boss says. The focus on talent remains a constant, also in the climbing department. Tulett and Gloag appear likely to get contract extensions. “We like to build longer-term relationships with young guys. For them, we’re the best team to develop in, and Ben (Tulett, ed.) has made a big step forward. Tom (Gloag, ed.) has dealt with a lot of injuries, but hopefully now he can show what he’s capable of.”

In principle, Visma | Lease a Bike also wants to continue with key riders like Benoot and Van Baarle, but Plugge is realistic: “They’re at a different stage of their careers. If they want to make one more big move, now’s the time to think about it. This could be their second-to-last or last contract. I don’t know if they have other options, but they’re important to us in the classics and other races, like the grand tours. It would be good for us to keep them, but I’d also understand if they wanted to take one more step. We haven’t started those conversations yet.”

“Some riders will leave, and with others we’ll start talks about staying longer,” Plugge concludes. “That’s a broad answer, but at the moment, there’s nothing concrete yet.”

Selection Visma | Lease a Bike 2026

Edoardo Affini
Niklas Behrens
Matthew Brennan
Victor Campenaerts
Tijmen Graat
Per Strand Hagenes
Menno Huising
Matteo Jorgenson
Sepp Kuss
Christophe Laporte
Bart Lemmen
Jørgen Nordhagen
Cian Uijdebroeks
Wout van Aert
Loe van Belle
Jonas Vingegaard
Simon Yates
Axel Zingle

Read also

Van Hooydonck does not consider van der Poel, van Aert or Pogacar to be favorites for Roubaix: “He's a truck on cobblestones"

Bilbao offends with remark about last year's much-discussed 'Vingegaard and Evenepoel crash' in the Basque Country

Analysts saw Van der Poel make rare mistakes, while Van Aert could no longer rely on his sprint: "He's lost his edge a bit"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe