Grischa Niermann’s first Visma | LaB transfer window: "I definitely understand that Mike Teunissen is disappointed"

Merijn Zeeman has been away from Visma | Lease a Bike since October 1, 2024, so the team presentation for the 2025 season was the first major public appearance without him. His duties have been divided among several people, but German Grischa Niermann has undoubtedly received the majority. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the Head of Racing of the Dutch team.

Zeeman had quite a list of duties as sports director, so they are now split between multi-person management led by CEO Richard Plugge. In addition to Niermann, as Head of Racing, the team includes Robbert de Groot (Head of Development), Mathieu Heijboer (Head of Performance), Jacco Verhaeren (Head of Coaching), and Patrick Broe (Head of Strategy).

"This is a significant restructuring for us. While Merijn's departure was a loss, it also presented an opportunity to reorganize our tasks," explains the CEO. "Under my leadership, this new structure will allow us to aim even higher. We've been working hard on this for the past few months, and I believe the riders have also noticed the progress."

"We didn't think about looking for a direct replacement," Plugge said. "Merijn and I already talked about it: it has become too big and too much. We were already looking at organizing it differently to spread the workload better. When Merijn indicated he wanted to do something else, the choice was easy."

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Departure Zeeman falls partly on Niermann's shoulders

Zeeman's responsibilities will now be assigned to several people, most of whom have been for some time. "The WorldTour men are still the core team, where most focus is. I think I have been given the most tasks out of that group of five," Niermann said. "That's maybe the biggest transition, the management tasks like negotiations that I've gotten added. My passion is still coaching, and I'm still on the team."

"Merijn, Mathieu, and I have worked very closely together in recent years regarding recruitment. Merijn was the leader but also brought us along after we knew he was leaving us. This year's newcomers all have Merijn's signature on them as well," Niermann continued.

So what has changed? "I shared ideas most with Merijn, but those are now Mathieu and Richard. Merijn was always a bit of a mediator between the sportive and Richard, so now I have more contact with Richard. We will miss Merijn, too, because he put this team together. But with the new structure, it will also work well." He is convinced of the effectiveness of the new set-up.

In doing so, he will not leave his great love as a compassionate and coaching team leader. "I will still be in the car often, like in the Tour or other classics. But I also have other commitments, more in the management area. My passion is still being present at the races and coaching, but I will also become more active in management."

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Niermann thinks classic team is stronger despite not signing new riders

One of Niermann's new tasks was attracting new riders. In the end, Simon Yates (Jayco AlUa), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto), Axel Zingle (Cofidis), Dan McLay (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), and Niklas Behrens (Lidl-Trek training team) joined the Dutch team. At the same time, Jorgen Nordhagen, Tijmen Graat, Menno Huising, and Matthew Brennan transferred from the U23 team.

The classic core seems somewhat weakened in numbers on paper with the departure of the Van Dijke brothers and Jan Tratnik, although Niermann does not share that opinion. "We also didn't see the need to strengthen that part of the team further because we didn't have a good Dylan, Christophe, and partly Wout at our disposal for the last two years. If those guys are completely fit at the start, especially with a Matteo who I think will take another step ... then we are at maximum power."

"Tiesj is obviously part of that, and then we have guys like Edoardo Affini, Campenaerts, and a young guy like Per Strand Hagenes," Niermann explained his ideal selection for the Tour of Flanders. "Behind that, you also have Niklas Behrens, for example, but then again, he is part of the white jersey group. With him, we hope he can ride a good Le Samyn or GP Denain, for example, and thus cycle into the group for Paris-Roubaix. He can make a good next step by performing there and riding for the win."

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Niermann about what happened with Teunissen: "I definitely understand Mike's disappointment"

Perhaps the most challenging transfer file last winter was finding a lead-out for Olav Kooij. At first, it looked like it would be Mike Teunissen, but the team eventually backed out. Niermann admits that was not an easy announcement to make. "At one point, we looked for a man for the lead-out and chose Dan. To Mike's disappointment, and I certainly understand that."

"That's how it is, and I'm responsible for it now. I will have to deliver these messages more often, like those of the race programs. With that, I can't call Merijn anymore either,' said Niermann, who we also asked about the new signing he is most proud of. 'We did our last transfer on the day of the first stage of the Vuelta, and that was Niklas Behrens, even before he came second at the European Championships and became world champion. So with that, we did make a big deal," he states with a smile.

Looking ahead to 2025, Niermann exudes a sense of determination as the Head of Racing. "We have unfinished business from last year. The classics, especially Flanders and Roubaix, are our first big goals. We've been chasing a win there for many years, and we're not giving up. The grand tours are another big goal. We believe that as a team, we can win the Tour again with Jonas. UAE and Pogacar have given us a lot of homework, but we believe it is possible. That is the biggest goal of 2025," he concludes with unwavering confidence.  

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