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Follow us on GoogleVisma | Lease a Bike headed to the Tour Down Under with a young team full of free spirits. After four days, the Dutch team had not yet booked success with leader Matthew Brennan, but there were certainly positive points to report. In the final weekend, the German new signing Anton Schiffer — who will be disappointed by the shortening of Willunga Hill — may go for a good overall result.
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Those who kept an eye on Schiffer in the yellow-and-black kit on Corkscrew Road — the decisive climb on day two — saw that he put in a relatively strong climb, well behind the UAE duo of Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez. From a position at the back of the peloton, he still rode up impressively in tenth place. “Anton rode a good climb, but he was just too far back at the decisive moment. The block of UAE Team Emirates-XRG was simply too strong,” said team director Jesper Morkov.
The Dane looked — before it was announced that stage five would be shortened due to the heat — ahead to the final weekend Down Under. “We’re going to support Anton Schiffer as strongly as possible as a team. He deserves that after what he has already shown this week,” he said. Schiffer — with whom we already spoke extensively about his transfer during the Deutschland Tour — has therefore made a good impression in his first appearance for the team.
Continue reading below the photo!
Visma | Lease a Bike introduces Schiffer
On his new team’s website, Schiffer was introduced in detail ahead of the Tour Down Under. “To be honest, I didn’t think this would happen anymore. I’m 26, and there aren’t many guys who make that step at this age,” said the German, who came from the continental BIKE Aid team, where he caught the eye in Greece and Romania.
“I come from another sport, so in that sense I’m still young,” said the former triathlete. “I’m sure there is a lot of room for improvement, since most things are new to me. What I would really like to learn is to race smarter and to race with specific goals. It sounds fun to enter a race with a leader who can win and support him as best as possible.”
Schiffer sees himself excelling as a puncher but hopes to develop more broadly. “As a general classification rider you have to perform at the top of your ability every day. In the past, I’ve proven that I can ride a good overall in smaller stage races, but that’s not comparable to races at the highest level yet.”
“Generally speaking, the longer a race lasts, the better I get. I always recover well and can strike at the moments when others start to get tired,” says the man who lives for his profession. “I enjoy the life of a top athlete. Healthy eating, a lot of training and good recovery: those are all things that don’t cost me any effort at all. I think that is a strength.”
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- I’m still figuring out cyclocross: do the riders use the same bikes for the grass, sand and mud, or change them during the race?jeremya02-11-2026
- £50 seems a bit steep for a day out, though I suppose it’s a major event and the demand is clearly there. Do family tickets make it much more affordable?tourdeforce902-11-2026
- Fifteen thousand is a serious crowd for a World Cup round. Glasgow could be a huge moment for British ‘cross if Mason can get near the podium again.jennifer1902-11-2026
- Those junior races are a great addition — it gives young riders a proper spotlight before the elites take over. Hope the course makes the most of the park rather than just being a muddy spectator scrum!samanthak02-11-2026
- Fantastic to see cyclocross getting this kind of response in Scotland. A packed Kelvingrove Park should make for a brilliant atmosphere, especially with Mason racing on home roads.raceready702-11-2026
- No explanation after 15 years feels a bit thin. The budget pressure may be unrelated, but it’s hard not to wonder if all these changes are connected.samanthak02-11-2026
- I’m still learning how team directors work—does the head sports director decide race tactics, or is that mainly down to the riders and the person in the team car?velodromevirtuoso102-11-2026
- A proper changing of the guard at EF, especially with Carapaz going too. Hope they don’t lose the team identity in the reshuffle.cadencekingm02-11-2026
- White coming back just before Wegelius leaves makes the timing look significant, even if EF haven’t said there’s a connection. Interested to see who gets the head DS role.raceready702-11-2026
- Fifteen years is a huge stint in modern cycling. Wegelius’ knowledge of EF and its riders will be hard to replace.robert6502-11-2026