Visma Lease a Bike forced to withdraw from race due to injury troubles

Visma Lease a Bike will not race the Tour of Slovenia this season. The Dutch team was originally set to compete in the beautiful June race, but announced through official channels that an overflowing injury list has left them unable to field a full squad.

The Tour of Slovenia is set for its 31st edition this year and has grown in prestige in recent seasons. Last year, Giovanni Aleotti took the win for Red Bull BORA hansgrohe. This year’s race begins on June 4 in Piran and will wrap up five days later in Novo Mesto. Visma Lease a Bike had Niklas Behrens, Thomas Gloag, Tijmen Graat, Menno Huising, Daniel McLay, and Loe Van Belle listed on the provisional start list.

“Due to the number of injuries, we are unfortunately no longer able to race the Tour of Slovenia,” Visma Lease a Bike announced on Saturday morning. The team did not specify which riders are injured. In addition, several riders are currently at altitude camp preparing for the Critérium du Dauphiné, which starts on June 8. The Tour de Suisse will also run the following week, further stretching the squad.