Fabio Jakobsen set for surprise move to Visma | Lease a Bike

A surprising transfer story emerged from the cycling world on Monday morning. Fabio Jakobsen appears set to join Visma | Lease a Bike, according to several media outlets, including well-informed journalist Daniel Benson. Given the Dutch sprinter’s recent results, it would be a particularly eye-catching transfer.

WielerFlits broke the news on Monday morning, prompting Benson to contact his own sources. “So far this morning I’ve reached out to several sources, and what’s clear at this stage is that Jakobsen will race for Visma in 2027, having agreed a one-year deal, and he has terminated his existing deal with Picnic,” the British journalist reported.

Benson added that Jakobsen could even appear in Visma | Lease a Bike colours before the end of this calendar year, although that part of the agreement has not yet been finalised. “Visma have been looking for a sprinter all year to complement Matthew Brennan, and they’ve landed on Jakobsen,” Benson explained.

According to the well-informed journalist, the team considers the move a low-risk transfer. “The rider is set to earn well below his existing salary, but he’ll be rewarded with a strong but realistic race programme. The team also see Jakobsen as a bridge between last year’s departure of Olav Kooij to Decathlon, and the emergence of development rider Henry Hobbs, who is just 19 but looks on course to join the WorldTour team in 2028.”

Visma | Lease a Bike entered several races with flat sprint opportunities this season, including the Copenhagen Sprint, without a pure sprinter in its line-up. Jakobsen is expected to fill that gap. “So he’s moving to Visma Lease a Bike in 2027, that we know for sure. It might take a bit longer for the 2026 part of the deal to be finalised,” Benson wrote.

“Picnic PostNL and Visma were approached for official comments but have not yet responded,” the report concluded.