Niklas Behrens, U23 world champion, signs with Visma | Lease a Bike

The newly crowned U23 world champion, Niklas Behrens, has signed a contract with Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch team announced the news on Monday via their official website. The German rider is making the move from Lidl-Trek Future Racing and has signed a three-year deal.

"I’m super happy to join Team Visma | Lease a Bike," said the 20-year-old German. "This is a team I’ve always looked up to due to the high level of professionalism. I’m really looking forward to being part of such a great team."

At 1.95 meters tall, Behrens is a tall rider, but he already showed at the World Championships that he can perform well on almost any terrain. "I hope to discover my true specialty in the coming years with the help of the team. I believe I can perform well in classics, but I also want to further develop my time-trialing skills. Additionally, I’m not slow in a sprint, which is important for winning races."

Sports director Grischa Niermann is quite pleased with the arrival of the talented rider. "Niklas is a rider with a lot of potential. He caught our attention over the past two years in several races, including the recent Tour de l’Avenir." Behrens achieved two top-10 finishes in that race, which was one of his first major cycling competitions. "He hasn’t been racing for long and has a lot of progression margin. We are confident that we can guide him to the next step in his still early career," said Niermann.

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Behrens surprised all favorites in the U23 World Championship road race

So far, 2024 has been a very good year for the tall Behrens. In March, he won the Youngster Coast Classic, beating other big names in the U23 category. In June, he became the German U23 champion. At the recent European Championships, he was narrowly beaten in the sprint by Dutchman Huub Artz, but two weeks later, he triumphed in the U23 World Championship road race. In Zürich, Behrens managed to stay ahead of all the top favorites, and in the sprint, he beat Slovakian Martin Svrcek, earning the rainbow jersey as his reward.

The calendar for the new cyclo-cross season is now online! Check it out here. Or check out our general calendars for the remainder of the season for the men and women's races.