Despite Van Aert, Vingegaard and brutal Giro misfortune, Visma | Lease a Bike is satisfied: "Could have been even better"

Visma | Lease a Bike had anticipated much more from the Giro d'Italia but departed Rome on Sunday with only four riders and one stage win to their name. Olav Kooij emerged victorious in a sprint on day nine but withdrew from the race after the rest day. Classification leader Cian Uijtdebroeks followed suit a day later. With the additional withdrawals of Robert Gesink and Christophe Laporte, the Giro unfolded as another chapter in Visma | Lease a Bike's string of bad luck in the first part of 2024. However, just as Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard returned to cycling, the Dutch team persevered in the Giro.

Tim van Dijke, Jan Tratnik, Edoardo Affini, and Attila Valter crossed the finish line in Rome on Sunday. "It's frustrating that we didn't have the opportunity to showcase our full potential. Unfortunately, we encountered numerous setbacks as the Giro progressed. Olav's stage win provided a significant morale boost to the team. We believed that many more memorable moments were within reach, but those hopes were dashed two days later by Olav and Cian's withdrawals," team manager Marc Reef aptly analyzed via the team's official channels.

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Cian Uijtdebroeks (left) and Christophe Laporte (right) gave up 

Visma | Lease a Bike kept fighting

Speaking with IDLProCycling.com, Reef continued his narrative over a can of Heineken: "Overall, I'm satisfied with our fighting spirit, our determination, and our daily efforts to seek out opportunities for success. It's been challenging, and naturally, we aimed for more, but considering our perseverance and relentless commitment from both the staff and riders throughout the last 11 days, I believe we stayed true to our course."

"All four riders have demonstrated remarkable resilience," he emphasized once more. "You enter a race like the Giro with specific goals in mind, and during the first half of the race, much of that may have slipped away. However, they adapted and persevered. While they had a solid preparation and viewed this as an opportunity, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Each rider has their own unique character. Tim is quite outspoken, Jan assumed a leadership role, Edoardo maintains calmness and perspective, and Attila never hesitates to push himself."

Nevertheless, we must highlight Tim van Dijke. Reef knows precisely why: "Tim arrived here without any substantial preparation. After completing Romandie following all the classics, he joined us. He demonstrated that his fundamental level is exceptionally high. He progressed as a rider and performed admirably for Cian in the first week. He played a crucial role for Olav in the ninth stage, which we won, and in the end, he sprinted to a top-six finish twice himself. I believe he surprised himself as a rider. He never struggled on the climbs and remained competitive until the very end."

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Jan Tratnik

Misfortune doesn't deter ambitious Visma | Lease a Bike

What's next? Visma | Lease a Bike received some good news in recent weeks, with Van Aert and Vingegaard returning to action after their crashes in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of the Basque Country. Van Aert even participated in the Tour of Norway. "The sun is shining on us regardless, and when we reflect on the first part of the year, despite our desire for more, we did secure a stage win here in the Giro. Only eight or nine teams have achieved that. The same applies to the remainder of our season: it could have been even better, but we certainly have no reason to complain. We've achieved excellent results and secured victories in significant races. We can already be pleased with what we've accomplished," said Reef.