Usually unreliable Conti spreads wild rumors about Visma | Lease a Bike, Bernal, and Vingegaard
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleTake them with a pinch of salt, but we didn't want to deprive you of these rumors on Saturday morning: Beppe Conti, known and notorious for his transfer rumors on Radio Corsa, had some interesting things to report on Friday. It mainly concerned Visma | Lease a Bike, team leader Jonas Vingegaard, and a possible super domestique.
ADVERTISEMENT
We don't have any statistics on how often Conti has been right with his predictions and rumors in recent years, but let's just say that he hasn't always been reliable. However, that doesn't mean he just made everything up, so it remains interesting to hear what the Italian has to say.
In the latest episode of Radio Corsa, Visma | Lease a Bike took center stage. That's because the Dutch cycling team still has two spots left in its 2026 selection. With Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Filippo Fiorelli (Bardiani), Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Anton Schiffer (BIKE AID), and Davide Piganzoli (Polti VisitMalta) already signed, there is still room for more.
Continue reading below the photo
Davide Piganzoli rides for Visma | Lease a Bike in 2026
Will Vingegaard get support from Bernal in the Giro?
One of the two remaining positions could be filled by Egan Bernal. Yes, that leader of INEOS Grenadiers, indeed. The 28-year-old Colombian still has a contract with the British million-dollar team, which runs until the end of 2026. With a seventh-place finish in the Giro d'Italia and a stage win in the Vuelta a España, he has shown that he is slowly returning to his old self after his training accident in 2022.
Bernal could get a spot in the climbing core at Visma | Lease a Bike, with Conti emphasizing that the 2026 Giro d'Italia in particular is an important event. After two Tour victories (2022 and 2023) and this year's overall victory in the Vuelta, Vingegaard would like to go to the Giro, and Bernal would have to support him in that.
Continue reading below the photo
Egan Bernal
Bernal does not seem to rule out a transfer in the future
Bernal has been linked to Visma in the past, incidentally. The chance of this happening this winter seems unlikely in many respects. First of all, the climber still has a one-year contract with INEOS. In addition, Bernal himself said at AS: “I have a contract with a team that has given me so much and supported me throughout my career. I am happy here.”
However, Bernal added: “My contract runs until the end of 2026, so from that point on, we can look at the various options.” Visma | Lease a Bike could also be a worthy destination. “Jonas is one of the strongest riders in history, a rider you would love to ride with in a team. He is a good person; I appreciate his character as a person.”
Will Vingegaard ever leave Visma | Lease a Bike?
If Vingegaard wants to win the Giro d'Italia in 2026, he will have to come from a good place. According to Conti, Tadej Pogacar, who won the Giro in 2024, would also like to return to the Tour of Italy. After that, both leaders will essentially have the Tour de France on their schedule. Normally, schedules are often not made official until November or December, so we can only wait and see.
This brings us to Conti's final point, which was about Vingegaard's future at Visma | Lease a Bike. The 28-year-old Dane still has a contract until the end of 2028, but if he completes the Giro-Tour-Vuelta trilogy at Visma, a move to the Danish Uno-X team could be on the cards. That is where he would like to end his career.
Read also
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'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
🎥 Lucinda Brand pulls out of the Niel cyclocross race in tears after just a few minutes
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Britain's Cameron Mason takes his first top-level cyclocross win after rain causes havoc in Niel
Mads Pedersen weighs in on Lucinda Brand and Marie Schreiber's European Cyclocross Championship clash
Sven Nys gave an update on Lucina Brand's injury: 'Difficult if you can't generate power'
Popular Cycling News
Cycling transfers 2026/2027 | Cycling transfer market still in full swing in November
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
🎥 Lucinda Brand pulls out of the Niel cyclocross race in tears after just a few minutes
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Latest Comments
- If he finished ninth at the Tour, why didn’t he get a stage win too? I’m still trying to understand how the overall standings work.julien11-11-2026
- No ‘cross at all this winter? That’s a shame, but with his road season starting in February, I can see why he’d want a proper break. Does stepping away mean he’s done with cyclocross for good?gearguru3311-11-2026
- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Three sets of tyres in two days at the Nürburgring! The man clearly doesn’t do anything by halves. Bet a winter without cyclocross will feel strange, though.bikebuffj11-11-2026
- Fifth in the world rankings after that autumn run is some achievement. Pidcock was so aggressive at the Tour, too—hopefully he can turn a few of those near-misses into wins inpatriciaw11-11-2026
- Does XEFI’s investment mean the team will have more money to sign riders, or is it mainly a sponsorship and naming change? And is Roglič expected to race much next season?jeremya11-11-2026
- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
- Wuling is no joke—105 km of climbing to 3,275 metres is brutal. Five minutes off Dyball’s record is still an incredible ride.velodromevirtuoso111-11-2026
- Roglič at TotalEnergies would be a fascinating move, but Heulot sounds pretty clear that it isn’t happening. His experience could be a massive boost for the younger riders, though.jennifer1911-11-2026
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026