Visma | Lease a Bike suffers major quality loss after Simon Yates departure

Visma | Lease a Bike's climbing core is depleting.
Looking at the incoming and outgoing transfers during last winter’s transfer window, we see that two strong assets, Cian Uijtdebroeks and Attila Valter, have left the team. Also, fit riders Tom Gloag, Tiesj Benoot, and Dylan van Baarle add value uphill for a GC team. Nevertheless, according to our Cyclingflash data, the team has actually improved with the incoming riders when it comes to their Mountain and GC ratings. This is mainly due to the arrival of Italian talent Davide Piganzoli and, to a lesser extent, Bruno Armirail.

Tim Rex also showed promising performances as a climbing domestique in the development ranks last year, while Anton Schiffer is also considered a climber. However, both are still inexperienced at WorldTour level. Filippo Fiorelli, despite his fast legs, brings some climbing qualities, which may explain the improvement. The fact remains that with Simon Yates’s abrupt retirement, Visma | Lease a Bike’s Mountain and GC ratings will sharply decline. Finding a worthy replacement for the Brit will be a task for 2027, although the search could start today.