Visma | Lease a Bike's new approach to racing, to beat Pogacar

The showdown is coming—the two powerhouses of UAE Team Emirates XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike are set to face off once again: Tadej Pogacar vs. Jonas Vingegaard. After UAE outperformed the Dutch squad in 2024, both men now start from zero. At Visma | Lease a Bike, they know they are entering 2025 as the hunters, as revealed by various key figures during their January media day.

Pogacar will kick off his season on Sunday at the UAE Tour, a race of major importance to his team. Two days later, Vingegaard will start his first race of 2025 at the Volta ao Algarve. That means immediate pressure for Pogacar to perform on climbs like Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet, while Vingegaard will likely have the freedom to ease into his first race without too much pressure.

Pogacar was outstanding in the 2024 Tour de France, and no one at Visma | Lease a Bike would deny it—Vingegaard least of all. The fact that Pogacar won nearly everything last season has forced Visma | Lease a Bike—once dominant in 2023—to go back to the drawing board. "We obviously know what Pogacar has shown—not just in the Tour, but in many other races as well," says sporting director Grischa Niermann. "But that also gives us a clear idea of the level Jonas needs to reach to fight him."

Niermann remains confident: "We believe that with an optimal preparation, Jonas can reach that level and go head-to-head with Pogacar and UAE." Vingegaard himself shares that belief: "We think I can still improve as a cyclist, but my main focus is on myself—that gives me the most control over the outcome. As for how exactly we’ll take on UAE Team Emirates, I’d rather keep that to myself. But we’re confident, even though we’ve seen how much stronger and more professional they’ve become. We need to close that gap again, but that’s more something for Mathieu Heijboer to figure out."

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Can Visma | Lease a Bike still improve much compared to UAE Emirates-XRG?

The fact that UAE Emirates-XRG (as the team is called in 2025) is also getting better and better doesn't come out of the blue. “I’m sure UAE has picked up things from us, just as we have from them,” acknowledges Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge. “It’s fantastic to have a team like that as a rival—especially when we win—but it also pushes us to greater heights. Of course, we observe what they’re doing. Back in 2014, I learned from Orica, when Shane Bannon was in charge. When he left, I shifted my focus to Sky and INEOS, and I learned a lot there. Just as we now study UAE—and others.”

Plugge gives an example: "The fact that he (Pogacar, ed.) rides with shorter cranks—that was a bold move from them. And it paid off. But there are more examples like that. We all watch each other,” he says with all his years of experience. “I still remember when we were the first team to bring our own mattresses to races. The next day, every other team had them too. Our mechanics and sports directors do one thing before the race: they walk past the cars and check out the bikes.”

Now, it’s up to Visma | Lease a Bike to come up with new tricks that can work in their favor. “I don’t think we need to copy anyone, but we do need to keep our eyes open,” Niermann argues. “If we want to beat Pogacar and UAE, we have to get better. They’ve made a big leap forward in terms of professionalism, but now it’s on us to find the next step. We need to figure out how to improve—that’s the key.”

Still, Niermann acknowledges the challenge of creating a big gap over UAE. “Every team is now trying to catch up with us in areas like nutrition and aerodynamics, just as we once did with others,” he explains. So, could a different tactical approach be the answer? “Of course, you always want to go for the win, but you also have to be realistic,” Niermann hints. “It’s great to be the strongest team and the strongest rider, but maybe we shouldn’t always take the initiative.”

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Vingegaard knows he and Visma | Lease a Bike must step up

To reclaim the Tour de France crown from Tadej Pogacar, Visma | Lease a Bike is counting on a reinforced Tour squad this year. Alongside Jonas Vingegaard, the team will include Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Victor Campenaerts, Christophe Laporte, and Tiesj Benoot. "To be honest, I don’t think having a stronger team would have made the difference against Tadej last year. The way my preparation went, it was always going to be a tough battle," Vingegaard admits. "But as a team, it’s important to take a step forward—and that goes for me as well if I want to compete for the win."

Grischa Niermann is careful not to downplay last year’s Tour de France team when comparing it to 2025’s lineup. "It would be unfair to the 2024 squad to say we’re stronger this year. Wilco Kelderman and Bart Lemmen did a great job, and even with a better team, we wouldn’t have changed the final result. But at the same time, a stronger squad can create more opportunities against Pogacar."

Wout van Aert, who played a key role in breaking Pogacar on Hautacam in 2022, also acknowledges the challenge ahead. "We all have to step up against Tadej Pogacar. He’s raised the bar even higher, but that’s how it’s been every year so far. Jonas was better in 2023 than he was in 2022, and Pogacar was even better in 2024. So in 2025, Jonas will have to improve again—because we’re all constantly getting better."

Read also

Pogacar sparks speculation with Roubaix recon and powers through in Nice for season debut

Tadej Pogacar laughingly reveals the crazy power metrics he hits on a relaxing day in zone 2

Little understanding for Van Aert’s race program choice: "I think you should always do San Remo, Flanders, and Roubaix"

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