In his column in the new autumn edition of RIDE Magazine, team manager Richard Plugge responds to the criticism of his Team Visma | Lease a Bike. He points to the laws of elite sport.
“One of the most important values and characteristics of our team is that we are the most critical internally,” writes Plugge in RIDE Magazine. “We review every decision, consult external advisors, and want to learn every day. It’s in the DNA of our squad. Yet, over the past period, I’ve also seen plenty of unfounded criticism.”
As examples, he cites: there are no team directors in the car who have raced finals themselves. And also: I don’t understand anything about Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s tactics.
“One commentator or analyst thinks they know better than the others,” continues Plugge. “Our team is used to receiving buckets of criticism. We want to be the best team in the world, which means the pressure is high.”
With victories in the Vuelta a España and the Giro d’Italia, Visma | Lease a Bike once again had a very strong season. Jonas Vingegaard also finished second in the Tour de France.
Plugge especially looks at the criticism of the women’s team: “Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was this summer’s best rider in the Tour de France Femmes. Also after a tactically nearly perfect execution by the entire team. The growth of the women’s team is wonderful to see. After a difficult start, management has really got it on track.”
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot after her victory in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes - photo: Raymond Kerckhoffs
“We can handle criticism from others well. What I really can’t get used to is the difference in criticism of women’s cycling (and maybe women’s sports in general) and our women’s team in particular. Why is the focus so much on other, extra-sportive matters like interpersonal relationships, how the women behave, how they look? And this summer, so enormously on weight? While that is not an issue at all with the men.”
“Our women and men both compete in elite sport—in different categories, with different specific characteristics. But please judge both categories on sporting values. On their performances, on their preparation, on their choices. The team management if necessary, on tactics, new signings, or departures.”
'We do follow the laws of elite sport; it’s not optional.'
“It’s elite sport. The same principles apply for one category as for the other. All our athletes (m/f) want to get the maximum out of themselves. And they go to the limit for that. In a healthy way, the best training and coaching, and the best coaches. And of course the best nutrition. With The Athletes Foodcoach, we first made the difference in the men’s peloton and are now also working with the women.”
“But we do follow the laws of elite sports. It’s not amateur sports or grassroots sports where people ride for fun. There are rules that don’t apply in everyday society. Charles van Commennee already wrote it in his Handbook Elite Sports; ‘In elite sports, what you do and don’t do every day is actually determined by the very best in the world. Elite sports is not optional. It is elite sports!’”
Read the full column by Richard Plugge in the autumn issue of RIDE Magazine, which publishes this week.
