This week on the GCN Racing News Show, we’re coming to you from the UAE Tour to dive deep into the recent shake-ups at Visma-Lease a Bike following the sudden departure of head coach Tim Heemskerk. We also recap a weather-affected week of racing across Europe, featuring dominant performances from Demi Vollering and a long-awaited win for Biniam Girmay. Plus, we explain how Astana Qazaqstan managed to scoop up over 1,000 UCI points in a single day!
Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – Welcome from the UAE Tour
01:23 – Is Visma-Lease a Bike Falling Apart?
06:22 – Tour de la Provence: Rain, Snow & Breakaways
08:40 – Figueira Champions Classic
09:33 – Biniam Girmay’s Victory in Almeria
09:51 – Vollering & Ferguson Shine in Valencia
11:10 – Vuelta a la Región de Murcia Recap
11:58 – Astana’s Massive 1,000 Point Day
12:35 – Paris-Roubaix Name Change & Injury News
14:12 – World Tour Win Rankings So Far
What’s your take on the situation at Visma-Lease a Bike? Are the recent departures and a slow start to the season a cause for concern, or is it just a minor ‘hiccup’ for the world’s top team? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇
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46 Comments
What’s your take on the situation at Visma-Lease a Bike? Are the recent departures and a slow start to the season a cause for concern, or is it just a minor ‘hiccup’ for the world’s top team? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇
Thank you Dan, great summary as always
Besides the departure of departure of Zeeman, I remember Jonas’ wife Trine Hansen complaining publically about him not spending time with family and over working him in the lead up straight before the TDF.
Two watches…
Three riders all representing autocratic repressive states with dismal human rights sweeping the podium in bone-saw Saudi Arabia, scoring a cheating-level amount of points. Avoided watching the tour because I wasn't paid the large summary amount of cash to participate in ginning up online viewership numbers.
Dan, great presentation as ever. I think it’s too early to tell if VLB is in trouble. They are investing heavily in the new generation. 2026 maybe a challenge for them.
I think you are trying to create controversy that is not there! Just let the season progress and then make conclusions based on wins and finishing places of the classics and the grand tours!
I pray AY was clean…age + history + sudden departure says otherwise. Maybe I'm too old and jaded. Visma doesn't have a coaching problem or a Yates problem. The have a Pagaćar problem! Take a ticket and get in line!
I get so much gossip news and speculation about professional cyclists nowadays that it more looks a soap opera than a sport. I guess that's the dread of cookies and search engines trying to corrupt my vision and I will start leasing my own road bicycles out
Similar complaints about Visma have been around for a while – witness Neilson Powless's comments about their training regime and rigid dietary protocols, for example.
The coach must have had something to do with Yates doping bust is all I can guess. Yeah the teams f’d
No love for sepp kuss?
Phil Liggett will retire at some point. You would be a fitting commentator to carry on.
Dan the pronunciation is like this: pre-pat-teller friction syndrome
6:18 Please don't read my thoughts
Pogi really destroyed them😂
Thanks Dan
Wout to Redbull anyone?
funny , the medical staff changes and the whole team fall apart.
this is the friendly reminder that let u know. its all about doping and betraying just because big money is involced lmao . what a sport. no wonder kids aint ride anymore
UAE is cheating more then ever, Gianetti has never done anything legal; his past is extremely dirty. And now, suddenly, he has the best team ever; they're completely riding off the best riders. We also see that the bikes are owned by the UAE itself; they do whatever they want, and they have the millions to bribe everyone, etc.
How’s pfeffer geogi doing so far this season
Whatz going on is they dont have the carbon monoxide rebreathers anymore 😂
INEOS stopped dominating once they no longer had more than twice the budget of the second richest team. Their innovative and novel "throwing money around" strategy stopped working when other teams could throw similar amounts of money around.
Whatever the problems are at Visma, they are not comparable to INEOS.
Letting go of van Baarle was a more than logical choice in my opinion, he wasn't able to position himself well any longer in the monuments and seemed hesitant. He was on a good chunk of money, as Jumbo back then got him after he won Paris Roubaix for Ineos. He wasn't good enough any longer to make it on the TdF squad either. Hopefully he's able to gain good form again at his new team, sympathetic guy.
When it comes to VLAB, this year they're the favourites to win the Giro with Vingegaard. With UAE likely fielding Del Toro alongside Pogačar in the TdF.
It's hard to talk about decline after last year's double grand tour victory. Obviously they haven't been competitive in the monuments and despite having one of the best squads for them. It's unlikely WvA is capable of beating MvdP, Pogačar and Mad Pedersen.
With Lidl-Trek and Bora-Hansgrohe RB and Decathlon there are several teams that are investing heavy. Where earlier after UAE VLAB was the team to go, there are now several suitors.
All-in-all VLAB seemingly needs to solve the internal problems, results I reckon are less problematic.
GCN could you make an item about Alpecin having barely any riders riding in support of MvdP with any RvV experience? Due to not having a co sponsor until very very late and the season.
The Ineos kit looks much better with the black bibs.
Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France… so that'll be Paris-Roubaix then 😂 Maybe the off-season should be a month longer given how bad the weather is at some of these early season European races…
nice
No indication that I know of that it was the team, but Femme Van Empel left Visma recently too….
very kind of the race organizers at that gravel race having a self-serve bike washing section of the course.
Team UAPEDs
The team is 5th in budget and won two grand tours last season…. If Jonas would manage to win the Giro it would be a exceptional achievement… Winning all three Grand Tours !!! La Giro del Italia, la Tour de France and la Vuelta a España … Bravo Jonas Vingegaard !! You are maybe different, (Normal human being compared with the alians), but we love you nevertheless ❤
It appears that Curling is going the way of cycling… Cheating is not punished. I gotta believe that Denmark‘s little star is doping. I would bet a dollar on it. Additionally, you complain about a team getting 1000 points in a single day. Well, they don’t make the rules, they are just playing by them! That behavior should be applauded!
Too many "Chiefs". Although all tremendous talents, also big egos.
The birds in the background of this video woke my poor cat up multiple times! Safe to say he is suing your sorry ass mate.
Next time could you please show a table of the women’s team wins (like the one you had for the men’s). I was interested in all the teams’ results so far (Liv Allula Jayco esp) and I was disappointed you just gave the women’s results such a brief mention.
I heard they all went on a 3 month Stella bender. None stop spam fitters and a mad fight at a taxi rank. No one's spoken since.
A bloke on the bus on the way back from the pub told me. Thought he was taking the …. but who knows. Last time I bumped into him was in the 90's and he said they were all on drugs. So who'm I to argue?
Woof. 🌳
Is it possible Visma is relying too much on AI coaching these days? Hence lack of creativity for head coach and his departure… Just a speculation, of course.
Wout and Jonas are both washed. It's up to the new talent now
Visma just announced that they are looking for new sponsors to invest in the team, so all of this is probably about money
LaPorte must have watched this last night before getting today's win
I thought it's HITC Sevens😅
0:53 MvdP's dream scenario for every race.
Right tree, appropriate bark. Great coverage, Dan,
they ran out of money-simple!
Vinregaard earning £80k. a week he must be devastated on GXN s opinions