"We are the biggest opportunity in the race": Richard Plugge updates on international sponsor search

After our website broke the news last week that Visma | Lease a Bike is searching for a new title sponsor, CEO Richard Plugge has now provided an update on his extremely challenging quest. Plugge was able to announce the arrival of the French Mistral AI, but that deal had been in the pipeline for some time and mainly offers technical support. The major financial backing is expected to come later, but from his words, Plugge sounds at least optimistic.

The Norwegian main partner Visma will step back starting January 1, 2027, because it cannot (or does not want to) keep up with the financial arms race currently taking place among the top teams. Therefore, Plugge has opened a vacancy for a primary naming sponsor.

"I think we represent the biggest opportunity in cycling for many brands and companies," he stated at the team's press conference in Deerlijk. "Especially to act as the title sponsor, but also for other partners. We have the largest reach and engagement of any title sponsor in cycling. We have a strong platform that people want to be part of. And we are international."

Strong Interest
But do those potential partners recognize that themselves? "Many companies, well, yes, I am very busy at the moment, but that's only a good thing. We have been approached by many major brands and companies and are currently in talks. There is a lot of interest in cycling, and we really are the biggest opportunity. We are a team that has proven itself in the Grand Tours in recent years; we have always been on the podium at the Tour de France. People recognize that," said Plugge.

Regarding the details of that search, the CEO prefers to remain discreet. "I can only say that it involves a variety of companies. Global companies too, which is a good sign for cycling but also for our team."

Rabobank, perhaps? The former Dutch main partner rejoined the team during the last Tour de France — after a twelve-year hiatus. "Anything is possible," Plugge emphasizes more than once. "We add attractive brands to our portfolio almost every year. Visma originally started as a co-sponsor alongside Jumbo and later grew into the title sponsor role at the right moment. You never know how things will unfold. But the interest in that position definitely comes from outside as well."

Higher Budget
An even tougher challenge for Plugge is that he is not looking for a budget just as large as what Visma contributed, but rather a partner who can help increase the budget and wants to keep growing. Besides the oil money at UAE Emirates XDR, the budgets of Lidl-Trek, Red Bull BORA-hansgrohe, and Decathlon CMA CGM have also explicitly risen over the past year. The team must keep up with that.

"It's a story I have told so many times," Plugge clarifies. "We must keep growing as a team. We want to be the leading team, the strongest team in the world, the number one. If we want to continue winning big races, we have to keep following the other top teams around us and closely monitor the market. That is my main task, and fortunately, there are many possibilities and opportunities."