He's really our 'Moneyball Guy': Unveiling the new sports management structure at Visma | Lease a Bike

Visma | Lease a Bike experienced a transition year last year, not only in terms of results but certainly also in terms of management. Merijn Zeeman, one of the founders of the Dutch cycling team, left on October 1, but there was not just one person who could replace him. Instead, CEO Richard Plugge chose five people to lead sports management under his guidance, which was introduced at the team presentation.

As of October 1, Robbert de Groot, Mathieu Heijboer, Grischa Niermann, Jacco Verhaeren, and Patrick Broe are part of the team's sporting management. Those men have been within the organization for a long time or have been prepared in-house over the past two years.

Zeeman left a legacy with the team, but Plugge also saw his good friend and partner's move to AZ as an opportunity. "This step is a big one for our structure. Merijn's departure was unfortunate but also an opportunity to split tasks. We think that with this new structure, under my guidance, we may even aim further and higher. We have already worked hard for that in the past three or four months, and I think the riders have also noticed that the next step has been taken."

The Visma | Lease a Bike team boss states that replacing Zeeman with only one person is practically impossible. "We didn't think about looking for a direct replacement. Merijn and I were already talking about it: it has become too big and too much. We were already looking at organizing it differently to distribute the workload better. When Merijn indicated he wanted to do something else, the choice was easy." And so they opted for five people, but who exactly are they?

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Robbert de Groot - Head of Development 

Whereas Zeeman is moving to AZ, Head of Development Robbert de Groot worked for the soccer club from Alkmaar in the past. The Dutchman has been working for (then called) Jumbo-Visma since 2019, where he was closely engaged in setting up the Development Team in 2020.

"This will be the sixth year of the U23 team," De Groot said. "That team has become part of the philosophy from the beginning, and so it is logical that they break through and make the step to the WorldTour, but you also must be able to create that step. We do everything we can to prepare those guys as well as possible. It's nice to see that they can then make the step."

De Groot's vision is clear: "We have to enable performance, but at the same time, do it with fun. As a team, we believe in that strategy. We introduce them to our team culture early, which is very important to us." This winter, Jorgen Nordhagen, Tijmen Graat, Menno Huising, and Matthew Brennan could move to the pro branch.

Mathieu Heijboer - Head of Performance

Mathieu Heijboer knows the organization like the back of his hand. The man from Dordrecht has been working for the cycling team for more than fifteen years after being a pro himself for three years with the France-based Cofidis. As a time trial guru and (performance) coach, he was the basis of many successes of the Dutch formation in recent years.

"My biggest responsibility is to enable our riders to start races with the best possible equipment, the optimal nutrition, and so on," said the Head of Performance. "In my new role, I try to make the sporting side even more of a priority in our team so that our riders can start racing in optimal conditions."

What does that mean for 2025, when Visma | Lease a Bike must start closing the gap with UAE again? "We strive always to be prepared, and in doing so, we look at everything critically. We did a lot of aerodynamic testing and looked at nutrition in detail. That way, we can only improve as a team, so we will always continue doing that."

Grischa Niermann - Head of Racing

If anyone in management knows the team, it is Grischa Niermann. The German joined the team as a rider in 1998 (!) and has remained loyal to the formation all these years. As a rider, he supported youngsters such as Robert Gesink, and as team manager of the women's and U23 teams, he was one of the main contributors to the team's success in recent years.

Part of Zeeman's duties will end up on his plate. "I will still be in the car often, like in the Tour or other classics. But I also have other obligations, more in the management area. My passion is still being present at the races and coaching, so I will also become more active in other areas."

"Merijn, Mathieu, and I have worked very closely together in recent years regarding recruitment. Merijn was the leader, but he also took us along after we knew he was planning to leave us. This year's recruits all have Merijn's signature on them as well," Niermann said. "I discussed many things with Merijn, but now I must do that with Mathieu and Richard. Merijn was always a bit of the mediator between the sportive and Richard, so now I have more contact with Richard. We are definitely going to miss Merijn, too, because he put this team together. But with the new structure, it will also work well."

As the person responsible for the race programs, Niermann thus has the task of formulating and achieving the 2025 goals. "We have unfinished business compared to last year. The classics, especially Flanders and Roubaix, are our first big goals. We have been chasing a victory there for many years, which we will do again with a strong team. The grand tours are another big goal. We believe we can win the Tour again with Jonas as a team. UAE and Pogacar have given us a lot of homework, but we believe it is possible. That is the biggest goal of 2025."

Jacco Verhaeren - Head of Coaching

We know Jacco Verhaeren in the Netherlands mainly as a successful swimming coach, but since October 1, he has also had a significant role as Head of Coaching in the sports management of Visma | Lease a Bike. "Jacco was already involved with the team last year and will strengthen the sports management, with his expertise as a successful top coach in swimming and his outside-in view of our organization. He will be the coach of the coaches, trainer, and sports innovator. In addition, he will be a link between the men's and women's teams, with special attention to the personal development of all athletes."

Verhaeren is looking forward to the upcoming season. "It helped me a lot to follow the team closely last year. This allowed me to see where the difference could be made. My duties revolve around coaching and development, mainly with the men, and conveying that to the women's team."

So, what is it like to go from swimming to cycling? "A lot drier," he was met with laughter. "But no, in any high-performance environment, it's similar. With top athletes and coaches wanting to reach the highest. The equipment and logistics differ because it's a vast team. To have that all come together is a wonderful challenge."

Patrick Broe - Head of Strategy

Patrick Broe, from Australia, was the only member of sports management who was not present at the presentation. Broe, who made a name for himself with his YouTube channel Lanterne Rouge, was already active as a consultant for the Dutch cycling team. With his video analyses, for example, he was partly behind the tactics used in the Tour in recent years.

Plugge could tell us a bit about the Head of Strategy. "Patrick, that's our Moneyball Guy," he said, referring to the famous American baseball movie from 2011. "I started making Excel files listing the riders' points, salary, and maximum power output. I was typing all that into a file, but we found Patrick with his video analyses at some point."

"He analyzes the whole market, as well as all the routes, for us. Grischa does that with him, but we also benefit significantly from Patrick regarding recruitment. We also use AI for that, which makes it increasingly easier." Luckily, Vism has a sponsor for this, who he likes to thank for the provided tools.

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