Visma | Lease a Bike add Australian and Portuguese talents to development team

Few transfers are expected at Visma | Lease a Bike’s WorldTour team ahead of 2027, but the development squad has been highly active in the recruitment market. After five previous announcements, the team has now confirmed that an Australian and a Portuguese rider will join the Dutch organisation’s development pathway next year.

It was previously announced that the squad will include at least two Dutch riders next season: Thijs Wiersma, winner of the under-23 Paris-Roubaix, and Winand Breuckers.

Sweden’s Elias Wändel, the recent winner of the Junioren Rundfahrt, Denmark’s Malthe Risjberg, who finished second in the Course de la Paix Juniors, and French rider Tom Gazeau will also represent the team for at least the next two years.

From Saturday, August 1, two more prospects can be added to that list. The first is 17-year-old Australian Alistair Forsyth, who has already collected eight victories this season. Those successes include wins in the Dutch junior races Omloop van Borsele, Omloop Land van Bartje and the Bergomloop in Simpelveld.

“Growing up, I watched the team shine on television in the biggest races. To now become part of it myself still feels a little unreal. Not many riders get the opportunity to join a team like Team Visma | Lease a Bike, so I am incredibly grateful that the team believes in my potential,” Forsyth said in the team’s official announcement.

“I will do everything I can to work as hard as possible. I am also looking forward to working with teammates from all over the world and getting to know them better,” Forsyth added.

Seventeen-year-old Portuguese rider Tomás Mateus, regarded as one of his country’s leading young talents, will also race for the Visma | Lease a Bike Development Team next season. “What appealed to me most was the way Team Visma | Lease a Bike supports its riders. From nutrition to training camps, everything is carefully considered to provide us with the best possible conditions in which to develop. Next season, I want to support my more experienced teammates as well as I can and learn as much as possible from them.”

Head of Development Robbert de Groot is pleased with the team’s latest recruits. “Alistair and Tomás are two riders with different qualities, but they share one important characteristic: they are eager to learn and motivated every day to continue developing themselves. We believe both riders fit perfectly within our development philosophy, and we look forward to guiding them through the next steps in their careers.”