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Follow us on GoogleIn the hunt for a stronger roster, Visma | Lease a Bike made some smart moves on the transfer market — but it also suffered some sensitive departures. Tiesj Benoot and Olav Kooij moved to the ambitious Decathlon project; Dylan van Baarle opted for Soudal-Quick Step; and Thomas Gloag joined Q36.5. And what about Cian Uijtdebroeks and Attila Valter — why did they leave?
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Whether Visma | Lease a Bike will be better or worse off in January remains to be seen. Davide Piganzoli, Bruno Armirail and Filippo Fiorelli are no bad additions, but there’s been quite some activity at the exits of the Dutch squad. Without doubt the biggest surprise was Uijtdebroeks — simply because he still had a contract in force.
The 22-year-old Belgian made, in good consultation with Visma | Lease a Bike, a move to Movistar. “The chances I get at Movistar and also the support, with time trials and everything. They really want to go for it,” he explained earlier. Visma, which had picked up Uijtdebroeks in 2023 when he still had a deal with BORA-hansgrohe, agreed.
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Cian Uijtdebroeks rode top ten in Tour of Lombardy
Uijtdebroeks feels right at home at Movistar
When Sporza asked him last weekend about first impressions of his new team, Uijtdebroeks answered positively: “You might perhaps expect that I wouldn’t feel comfortable because I don’t master the language, but it was really amazing. It felt like coming home in some way. That is exactly what I was looking for in a team.”
Was it a lack of home-feeling at Visma | Lease a Bike that made him leave? Partly, undoubtedly. But the sporting package also wasn’t to his liking. “Ultimately my heart is with the Grand Tours; that’s where I want to ride for the general classification. And that’s impossible if you’re not doing one. And at Visma it would be very difficult because of the big riders they have.”
The words ‘freedom’ and ‘personal’ come up more often. Uijtdebroeks is primarily moving out of his comfort zone, by joining a team that may be a little less strict. “I needed this freedom. Because I’m very strict and disciplined myself, a somewhat more relaxed team does me good. Sometimes it’s better to have someone around you that says ‘tranquilo’.”
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Attila Valter
Valter wanted a new environment after three years at Visma | Lease a Bike
We will also not see Valter in 2026 in the yellow-black of Visma | Lease a Bike. The now 27-year-old Hungarian spent three years riding for the “Killer Bees”, but felt the need for a new environment. In 2025 he did not ride any Grand Tour, although he had arrived from Groupama-FDJ in 2022 precisely to shine in stage races and hilly one-day races.
After his farewell race in the Tour of China, his eyes are now on a new chapter with Bahrain Victorious. “In short: I really needed this. I feel that in the three years at Visma | Lease a Bike I learned everything there was to learn. I have used my time at the team optimally. But I want to achieve more, ride more for myself. And I felt that that could not happen there.”
So Valter, just like Uijtdebroeks, chose new surroundings. He could have stayed at Visma | Lease a Bike, but said no. “I increasingly have the feeling I made the right decision. That was based on a feeling, that I needed a new environment. I’m training now like when I was an under-23, my coach treats me differently.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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