Dylan van Baarle confirms departure from Visma | Lease a Bike and explains why: "You can be wrong, of course"

Van Baarle's departure had been in the air for several months. His contract with Visma | Lease a Bike is expiring, and since early May, the Dutchman has been linked with a move to Soudal-Quick Step. Cycling teams are not allowed to make transfers official until August 1, so we will have to wait until then for official news.

In his podcast with Wout Poels and AD journalist Marijn Abbenhuijs, Van Baarle explained why he will not renew his contract with Visma | Lease a Bike. “It's not a decision I made overnight, but especially after the bad luck of the past few years, it might be good to have a new challenge. I feel that a new environment can give me a fresh boost.”

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Van Baarle joined his current team in 2023 with high ambitions, a year after winning Paris-Roubaix for INEOS. At Visma, the adventure started well with a win in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but then he broke his hand in Roubaix, his collarbone in the 2024 Dauphiné, his hip in the 2024 Vuelta, and earlier this year, his collarbone again in Australia.

Van Baarle did win the Dutch road championship in 2023, but he undoubtedly had higher expectations for his time in yellow and black. “You can be wrong, of course, but I think leaving will allow me to perform at the level I have performed at in the past,” he said hopefully.