"That guy in that student house, who just loved cycling": Is Bart Lemmen rightfully a new Roglic?

It was the epitome of an absolute rocket start. Just a week ago, Bart Lemmen secured a fifth-place finish in the overall classification of the Tour Down Under. As a rookie WorldTour rider, the Visma | Lease a Bike cyclist outperformed established names such as Simon Yates and Julian Alaphilippe. Lemmen's story is well-known; he initiated his cycling journey during his student days and gradually ascended the cycling ranks. Juggling his role as a soldier, he consistently delivered impressive results. Then, Visma | Lease a Bike presented him with an opportunity, and Lemmen proved to be a valuable addition to the team. When contemplating opportunities and recalling the yellow-black brigade, it's easy to draw a parallel with another opportunity the team seized about eight years ago: Primoz Roglic.

Disclaimer: It is not our intention to draw a direct comparison between both riders, nor do we intend to predict Lemmen's trajectory in comparison to Roglic's. Such predictions would be nonsensical. In this IDL Retro piece, fueled by the excitement of current events, we delve into the early days of the atypical Roglic in the WorldTour. As avid cycling enthusiasts, we are naturally curious about where unconventional careers might lead. The allure of the unexpected in sports and the allure of unexplored paths pique our curiosity. The performances in Australia by the equally atypical Lemmen evoke memories of the early days of his Slovenian predecessor.

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In first month with LottoNL-Jumbo, Roglic finished top five in the Algarve

In January 2017, as an 18-year-old college student, I celebrated with friends the end of exam week. We gathered for drinks in the spacious dorm of a classmate. Midway through the evening, someone from the main living room addressed me. 'Hey, you used to play soccer with my little brother, didn't you?' A moment later, I recognized him. It was Bart, Sjoerd's brother, with whom I had indeed played soccer in my younger years. Our conversation quickly shifted to bikes. Bart was very enthusiastic about the Domrenner, a student organization for cycling enthusiasts. They organized enjoyable bike trips, and enthusiasts could even participate in races. Little did we know that those initial cycling adventures with the Domrenner would mark the beginning of a remarkable cycling journey for Bart Lemmen.

At that time, Primoz Roglic had just completed his first full season with LottoNL-Jumbo. In late 2015, the cycling world learned about the entry of a former ski jumper into the WorldTour, who had already won the tours of Slovenia and Azerbaijan. Despite only a few years in the cycling world, Roglic displayed a clear desire and potential to become one of the best in the sport. In 2016, the Slovenian made his debut for Lotto at the Tour Down Under (which he left after five days). Just a month later, Roglic highlighted why he had caught the team's attention: in the Volta ao Algarve, he secured a fifth-place finish, trailing behind prominent names such as Thibaut Pinot, Alberto Contador, and Geraint Thomas.

Throughout the rest of the year, Roglic served as a domestique to the classification leaders within the Dutch team, including Robert Gesink and Steven Kruijswijk. This role saw him in races like the Tour of Catalonia and the Tour of Yorkshire, where his performances, though somewhat anonymous, paved the way for Roglic's participation in his first major tour—the Giro d'Italia. Heading into the Giro, there were questions surrounding Roglic's abilities. While it was known that he could win smaller tours and time trial quite well, no one could have predicted that Roglic would make such a significant impact from the very start of the Giro in Apeldoorn. Only Tom Dumoulin, the man who would later become his teammate and domestique in the Tour, managed to keep him from donning the first pink jersey.

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Heijboer already stated it: growth potential in Lemmen is unmistakable

In the opening time trial, the difference was a few thousandths of a second: Roglic finished second. That daring ski jumper showcased himself to the world as a time trial powerhouse. This was evident again in stage nine. Amidst the rain, during a long and challenging time trial through the Chianti region, the relatively unknown Slovenian secured his first stage victory in a major tour. Despite a heavy fall in the second stage of that Giro, making a general classification attempt impractical, Roglic played a crucial role in supporting his teammate Kruijswijk, who came close to winning the Giro until a mishap on the famous descent of the Agnello thwarted their plans. The rookie WorldTour rider proved to have significant potential and continued to thrive in 2017.

Roglic claimed victory in the Tour of the Algarve in his second season with Lotto, stood on the podium in Ster ZLM and the Tour of Romandie, and secured top-five finishes in the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tirreno-Adriatico. As the team did not focus on a classification in the Tour de France, Roglic made his debut as a free rider. He impressively won a stage over the Galibier, gradually convincing the rest of the world that the Slovenian with the unconventional career could indeed go far. Roglic swiftly ascended the team hierarchy, surpassing Kruijswijk in the 2018 Tour with a fourth-place finish as the team leader, and the rest is history. Roglic has since won four grand tours and numerous other races.

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Heijboer said it: the growth potential at Lemmen is undeniable

Back to the topic at hand. While Roglic's story may be exceptional, Lemmen's arrival indicates that Visma | Lease a Bike is actively seeking emerging talents with a discerning eye. Coach Mathieu Heijboer has already highlighted the promising nature of this venture. The data, the numbers, the values—there's potential and power within it. There's a melody to it. For now, Lemmen will continue to play a supporting role in stage races, following in the footsteps of Roglic's initial role. Opportunities for more and chances for new podium finishes, as seen in the Tour Down Under, will undoubtedly arise.

Bart Lemmen is not Primoz Roglic. We are yet to discover the extent of his capabilities, and he himself may still be figuring that out. However, the team's recognition of his potential, coupled with his atypical journey, renders the future intriguingly uncertain. The young man in that dorm, driven by a passion for cycling, has burst into the WorldTour with a bang. The adage "who knows where this could end up" is quite fitting in this case.