Daniel McLay, Tosh Van der Sande, and Julien Vermote will no longer be seen in the Visma | Lease a Bike kit in 2026. The trio was on standby with the Dutch team to possibly extend their contracts by the end of the season, but that will not happen. Multiple sources have confirmed this to Cyclingflash.com and WielerFlits.
The news that the three cannot stay comes as no surprise. With all the incoming transfers, Visma | Lease a Bike already has 28 riders for the coming season. Therefore, there was only room for two out of the three riders, but the team has chosen not to continue with the experienced trio. The future of McLay, Van der Sande, and Vermote are currently unclear. The next few months will be a tough search for them.
Short-lived collaboration for McLay
Especially for the Brit, this is a tough blow. He was signed just under a year ago as a permanent lead-out for Olav Kooij, following the debacle surrounding Mike Teunissen’s transfer. McLay’s role remained limited to nine races so far, including Tirreno-Adriatico, the Bruges–De Panne Classic, and the recent Tour of Poland. The Cheetah from Numansdorp reached an agreement early this year with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, where he will sprint from 2026 onward.
Dan McLay - photo: Cor Vos
The Brit’s role is therefore over. This is less so the case for Van der Sande and Vermote, but they are likely the ones paying the price after team reselect. Visma | Lease a Bike brought in Pietro Mattio and Tim Rex from their own development squad. The 21-year-old Italian and the similarly aged Belgian are both all-rounders, mainly riders with a supporting role. Vermote (36) and Van der Sande (turning 35 at the end of this year) share that as well. The team is cutting loose their experience.
What remains for the Belgian duo?
Little is known about the future of the two Belgians. Vermote had already been off the pro scene for a year but filled the spot in early 2024 that arose after Nathan Van Hooydonck suddenly had to stop racing due to heart issues. The elder of the two Belgians raced no less than 69 race days last year, after which Visma | Lease a Bike extended his one-year contract for a similar period. That won’t happen again. This year, Vermote has just under forty race days.
McLay and Van der Sande in the UAE Tour earlier this year - photo: Cor Vos
Van der Sande has even fewer, with only 32 race days this year. His last race was the Belgian Road Championships at the end of June. The all-rounder joined in 2022 after ten years with Lotto Soudal. At the Dutch team, he mainly competed in relatively smaller stage races and several bigger one-day races over the last four seasons, much like Vermote. They often filled the last gaps in team selections. That might sound a bit dismissive, but it’s not—you truly need riders like them.
Given that the Belgian duo will be over 35 years old by January 1, 2026, WorldTeams and ProTeams are unlikely to queue up for their signatures. The 33-year-old McLay might also be starting his search in vain. “There has been some talk, but not much more than that,” he told Cyclingnews last week regarding negotiations with Visma | Lease a Bike. “So if someone wants me for next year or the following two years, I’m available.”
