Teams & Riders Team Visma - Lease a Bike

[Netserk]

Which others are doing just fine? In which country does cycling really live up to its potential? Colombia maybe.

Why do I have to provide a time when the business model did succeed when my point is that it's inherently flawed and doesn't work?

So it has never been better, but it doesn't live up to its potential? That's a pie in the sky then.

It's doing quite fine in both Belgium and France. Obviously Britain too. Quite some smaller countries as well. More importantly, the aggregate numbers are great. You might say as good as it gets in cycling. Has there ever been a better time to be a rider?

 

[theyoungest]

The problems that you describe aren't a recent phenomenon, the Tour has always been the pivotal moment where suddenly all of the Netherlands is sucked to the sport. Ever since early 00s when I started following the sport as a kiddo this has been the case.

In fact, the TdF viewing rates in the Netherlands has been historically high in 2022 and were very good in 2023 as well. Also, other races like Flanders and Roubaix are attracting very decent viewing rates and the cycling related media ecosystem has become quite more varied with a nice diversity of magazines, podcasts. The problem of cycling in general, and Dutch cycling especially has always been a lack of a sustainable revenue model, not a lack of attention. In that regard I fully understand Plugge's remarks, although him being a central figure in the sports make me a bit weary about his motives.

Btw, the lauded F1 is suffering the last two seasons from plummeting viewing rates and even long-time sport fanatics are complaining about the boredom and lack of competition.

F1 'reveals' drop in viewing figures

Contrary to the ongoing claims that F1 is booming like never before, TV viewing figures for 2022 actually show a drop compared to the previous season.

www.pitpass.com

That's almost impossible since viewing figures are decreasing across the board. In 2022 the NOS had 700,000 viewers on average for every stage. In 2015 this number was approximately one million.

I do agree that the viewership is spread across more platforms and there is a healthy amount of media you can consume around the Tour de France, but if I look at Youtube for instance, when is a cycling video ever trending in the Netherlands? Never, I can tell you that. Compare that to football or F1, it's a huge difference. And that's indicative of how the sport reaches a younger audience.

 

[scribers]

Have we definitively determined visma again made inappropriate touching of another team’s rider?

 

[Rob5091]

I'll be interested to see the number of viewers now that GCN has disappeared (so are the people behind the One Cycling scheme too probably).

 

[kn0s]

Have we definitively determined visma again made inappropriate touching of another team’s rider?

No. Kron was looking to get on a world tour team. Didn't work out.

It's hard for Visma, all the boys are throwing themselves at them and sometimes they have a girlfriend already. Curse of the most attractive in class.

 

[Blanco]

No. Kron was looking to get on a world tour team. Didn't work out.

It's hard for Visma, all the boys are throwing themselves at them and sometimes they have a girlfriend already. Curse of the most attractive in class.

Yeah, it's very hard to say to a rider, or his agent, we're free to talk if you're a free rider.

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, it's very hard to say to a rider, or his agent, we're free to talk if you're a free rider.

Which is what they did. It's just mr. Heulot trying to get on the anti-Visma wave that's currently sweeping Francophone cycling media.

 

[Rob5091]

Whatever we think of Visma they must pay well, as Foss apparently had to take a pay cut in his move to Ineos.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Whatever we think of Visma they must pay well, as Foss apparently had to take a pay cut in his move to Ineos.

I don't think he took a pay cut, but he and his agent were initially looking for a huge salary increase which no one wanted to give them.

 

[Rob5091]

I was going from the headline at
https://www.landevei.no/proffsykling/tobias-foss/drama-i-kulissene-da-foss-sikret-drommeovergang
but as I don't have "abonnement" I have not read the entire article. Maybe someone who has, can enlighten us.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I was going from the headline at
https://www.landevei.no/proffsykling/tobias-foss/drama-i-kulissene-da-foss-sikret-drommeovergang
but as I don't have "abonnement" I have not read the entire article. Maybe someone who has, can enlighten us.

Now I don't have a subscription either, but I believe INEOS had originally offered both Foss and Verona more money than they could/were willing to pay in the end. While Verona got deal at Trek instead, Foss accepted the lower offer.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Patrick Lefevere and Soudal-QuickStep committed to One Cycling reforms project

'If you want to see a miracle, go to Lourdes, but if we want things to change, we have to work in the same direction'

www.cyclingnews.com

Some pros i see:

The idea of unified push and getting more money from selling TV rights. That is something hard to argue against.

Some cons i see:

It does read a lot like Super League attempt in European football. In addition, for this to succeed, the importance of Tour the France would need to get diminished. And on top of all that some private entity would exist, owning and managing cycling, at the beginning i guess only possible due to Saudi money. That in my opinion is so un European like approach, to sport, that i don't know if that by itself stands a real chance of success. As likely too much things would need to be tackled at once. But then again are ASO and potentially UCI strong enough to prevent it from forming, like UEFA, that is currently fighting against Super League?

We'll see.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I was extremely impressed by Bart Lemmen‘s performance at the TDU.

He was unbelievably good, actually. I never expected him on rank 5, in GC. There was not even a time trial…

I expected a bit more from Vader, but who knows, maybe he surprises us later in the season…

 

[theyoungest]

I was extremely impressed by Bart Lemmen‘s performance at the TDU.

He was unbelievably good, actually. I never expected him on rank 5, in GC. There was not even a time trial…

I expected a bit more from Vader, but who knows, maybe he surprises us later in the season…

Apparently in their December training camp Lemmen tested among the best of the team. And to think he only came on the team as a late replacement for Van Hooydonck. His trainer is also new, Espen Aareskjold, the replacement for Roglic' trainer. Both had quite successful debuts, you could say.

 

[pastronef]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750866624297480653

View: https://twitter.com/vismaleaseabike/status/1750866624297480653

 

[sam6]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750866624297480653

View: https://twitter.com/vismaleaseabike/status/1750866624297480653

I think this is actually great they are being open about it! I don't have strong views on whether using grey area stuff is right, but I do think if they do then they shouldn't hide it and should be open about what it is they are taking and Visma being honest about exactly what they are doing is a good thing!

 

[theyoungest]

I think this is actually great they are being open about it! I don't have strong views on whether using grey area stuff is right, but I do think if they do then they shouldn't hide it and should be open about what it is they are taking and Visma being honest about exactly what they are doing is a good thing!

A lot of teams use ketones. There's really nothing special about it. Also not every rider uses it, as not everyone sees the benefit. Vingegaard doesn't, for instance.

It's just some frustrated team bosses who think that the reason they can't compete anymore is ketones who make a huge deal of it. And I think part of its legend is also just simply the name. It sounds like it's some kind of magic potion. If it was called beetroot juice nobody would care.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

It's just some frustrated team bosses who think that the reason they can't compete anymore is ketones who make a huge deal of it.

Exactly.

The thing is also, I‘m surprised that Legeay (Credit Agricole, and MPCC) and Bernaudeau (Total Energies) at their respective times scold(ed) about cortisone TUEs (2000ers) and ketones (2020ers), respectively.

The supplements and other stuff (pills, syringes, …) that really make the difference, are others, I‘d say…

 

[CyclistAbi]

Tratnik na Giro in Tour, nato pa upa še na olimpijske igre

Pri čebelah je po odhodu Primoža Rogliča ostal Jan Tratnik, ki se mu v sezoni 2024 obeta pestra sezona v vlogi vsestransko uporabnega pomočnika. Po spomladanskih klasikah Idrijčana čakata tako Dirka po Italiji kot Franciji, sam pa upa še na Pariz.

www.rtvslo.si

So Tratnik is going to both Giro and the Tour.

 

[Aimar16]

Valter is going to the Giro, he should be the team leader - https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/attila-valter-maakt-giro-voorselectie-visma-lease-a-bike-compleet/

 

[repre]

Valter is going to the Giro, he should be the team leader - https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/attila-valter-maakt-giro-voorselectie-visma-lease-a-bike-compleet/

team leader over Wilco and Cian? You gotta be kidding

 

[Aimar16]

team leader over Wilco and Cian? You gotta be kidding

Kelderman as team leader? No internet in ukraine in the last few years? And the whiny Belgian will surely lose his cool when Wout goes for stage wins instead of defending his seventh place in GC.

 

[theyoungest]

Kelderman as team leader? No internet in ukraine in the last few years? And the whiny Belgian will surely lose his cool when Wout goes for stage wins instead of defending his seventh place in GC.

Okay, and what makes you think Valter will do any better?

 

[Aimar16]

Okay, and what makes you think Valter will do any better?

Because he looked stronger than Kelderman in the Vuelta and he is at an age where he can still improve, whereas the Dutchman is the opposite.

 

[theyoungest]

Because he looked stronger than Kelderman in the Vuelta and he is at an age where he can still improve, whereas the Dutchman is the opposite.

Both of them had their moments. Neither of them was great. But to pick Valter over Uijtdebroeks, that's quite delusional.