Victor Campenaerts becomes a key teammate alongside Jonas Vingegaard
In his second season with Visma | Lease a Bike, Victor Campenaerts will often be racing alongside Jonas Vingegaard. It gives him an "incredible feeling of recognition" to be able to support the two-time Tour de France winner so frequently.
"In terms of race days, it will be quite similar," Campenaerts points out that he and Vingegaard have almost the same schedule in 2026. "It will depend on what we do in the autumn. The only difference until then is that he rides Catalonia and I ride Paris-Nice."
Campenaerts will also ride the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France alongside Vingegaard. This has established the Belgian as a key rider for the Danish team leader of Visma | Lease a Bike. "That’s really a big change. I could only have dreamed about this before joining the team, but I really did dream about it. It’s not like I didn’t dare to dream it. I was able to prove myself in a very positive way last year. Now I am truly part of that core. That gives an incredible feeling of recognition."
Versatile
When asked why he is so valuable to Visma | Lease a Bike, Campenaerts refers to a statement by Mathieu Heijboer, Head of Performance at the Dutch team. "Mathieu said: ‘A good domestique in a stage race has to be versatile.’ According to him, that is the most important thing. And that’s what I try to make my strength."
"I am a strong time trialist, so I can make a big contribution to the team time trial at the Tour in Barcelona. I have raced the classics, so I can hold my own in hectic situations and bunch sprints. On top of that, I am still developing as a climber, so I can actually contribute on all fronts."
