A mix of seasoned veterans and hungry rookies is set to bring Visma | Lease a Bike success at the Vuelta

Visma | Lease a Bike is heading to the Vuelta a España with a team full of experienced riders, as well as some young guns. Wout van Aert will be one of the standout riders for the Dutch squad, but riders like Matthew Brennan, Ben Tulett, and Christophe Laporte will also be on the starting line in Monaco. The team has been assembled to excel on any terrain.

Van Aert had known for a long time that he would be riding the Vuelta. After a busy spring, he skipped the Giro d’Italia, after which he was set to start the Tour de France. However, a crash during training threw a wrench in the works, shifting his full focus to the Tour of Spain. The Belgian will be making his second appearance in Spain, having already won three stages there in 2024. This year, he’s aiming for the red jersey during the opening weekend.

Van Aert will be able to shine in the tough sprints and transition stages, but he can, of course, also excel in the time trials. Moreover, his skills as a lead-out man will also be valued in the high mountains. For the flatter sprints, Visma | Lease a Bike will look to Matthew Brennan. The 21-year-old Briton will make his debut in a Grand Tour.

He has already won nineteen professional races in his still-young career, but proved he was in top form at the Tour of Burgos with two stage wins. Jørgen Nordhagen and Ben Tulett were also at the start there. The two young climbers made a good impression in the tough stages and will likely be able to contend for the general classification or go for stage wins.

For Nordhagen, this will be his debut in a Grand Tour; for Tulett, it will be his third start. Their inexperience is offset by the presence of Steven Kruijswijk (23 Grand Tours), Christophe Laporte (11 Grand Tours), Bruno Armirail (10 Grand Tours), and Sepp Kuss (17 Grand Tours). The latter, an American, won the Vuelta as recently as 2023.

For Kuss, this will be his third Grand Tour in 2026, after he also competed in the Giro and the Tour. In Italy, he won the 19th stage, while in the Tour, he saw a victory slip through his fingers due to a double crash on the penultimate stage. Having already ridden the Tour and the Vuelta in 2025, this race will be his fifth(!) Grand Tour in a row.

Kruijswijk will serve as road captain in what will be the very last Grand Tour of his career. In 2018, he finished fourth in the general classification. Former European champion Laporte will make his Vuelta debut after ten editions of the Tour de France and one appearance in the Giro. Armirail will get to shine in the time trials and is set to start his sixth Vuelta.