Top talent Thijs Wiersma steps up to Visma | Lease a Bike Development in 2027 and will keep speed skating

The Visma | Lease a Bike development squad has no Dutch riders on its roster in 2026, but there will be at least two again from 2027. Following Winand Breuckers, Thijs Wiersma — winner of the junior Paris-Roubaix — will also make the step up to the Development Team. Wiersma will continue combining cycling with his other sport, speed skating.

Wiersma joins from JEGG-SKIL-DJR, Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s supported junior squad. He won junior Paris-Roubaix this season, while the powerful rouleur also recently finished third in the Dutch national junior time trial championships. He is equally accomplished on the ice: last winter, Wiersma set a junior world record over 3,000 metres, while at the age of 17 he also competed in the Dutch Olympic qualifying tournament.

Visma | Lease a Bike will give Wiersma the freedom to combine the two sports. “We always look at the individual athlete and the path that suits them best. Thijs has shown that ice skating and cycling can complement each other, and we are happy to support him in finding the right balance,” says Head of Development Robbert de Groot.

“Our focus is on helping him unlock his full potential over the coming years,” De Groot added on behalf of the Dutch cycling team.

“I am very pleased to be joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development,” Wiersma added. “The team’s vision on developing young riders fits well with my ambitions. During our conversations, I was impressed by the personal approach and the attention given to long-term development.”

“I am also grateful that I will be able to continue combining cycling with speed skating. I believe that combination suits me well, and I look forward to continuing my development within this environment,” concluded the rider from Friesland.