Visma | Lease a Bike have former prodigy Per Strand Hagenes fully back

Hagenes is no new name within Visma | Lease a Bike. He joined the organisation back in 2022, and after two seasons with the development team, he ultimately made the step up to the WorldTour squad. While still an U23 in 2023, he immediately left an impression: as a stagiaire with the WorldTour team he won the Profronde van Drenthe, took a stage at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and also won the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro.

Already a “former wonderkid” thanks to his junior road world title in 2021, the young Hagenes quickly showed he was ready for the top level — and delivered some eye-catching performances. Think of his 154-kilometre breakaway in Paris-Roubaix 2024, ninth overall in the Baloise Belgium Tour that year, third overall in the Renewi Tour, and fifth at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

In 2025, he continued on that trajectory — including a fifth place at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque — but after the Critérium du Dauphiné in June last year, things went wrong. “I got sick and for a long time we couldn’t figure out exactly what it was,” Hagenes explained. “I had problems with my sinuses, and eventually I had surgery. But that was only in October, so it dragged on for a long time.”

After the 2025 Dauphiné, Hagenes didn’t race again until he appeared back on a start list in January 2026 at the Tour Down Under. There, he rode in support of riders including Matthew Brennan, as he also did at Cadel’s Criterium and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. At Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, he then showed promising signs with a strong ride to 23rd.

After his 58-kilometre attack at Le Samyn, Hagenes sounded genuinely pleased with the level he has returned with. “I’m happy with the level I’ve come back at,” he said at the team bus. “Australia was a good start to get some race rhythm again, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was also a good experience. I’m happy with the support from the team during the difficult period I’ve had. Now I’m happy to be back.”

That was echoed by sports director Grischa Niermann, who saw a very strong Hagenes at Le Samyn. “Per rode a very strong race in Omloop,” Niermann said. “He just couldn’t make it across on the Molenberg, but after that he still did a very strong pull on the front for the team. He’s in good shape and definitely one of our pawns for the spring. It’s great that things are going so well for him again.”

The signs are clearly positive, because in Le Samyn, Hagenes was allowed to dream for a long time. He held onto a small advantage for kilometres, but inside the final kilometre a sprinting peloton finally caught him. He explained that, from his perspective, the attack came from a moment of uncertainty in the group ahead. “We had a nice group with two laps to go,” he said. “But the cooperation wasn’t optimal, so when the peloton was coming, I wanted to go for it.”

Hagenes then launched from the front group over the cobbles. He described it as a “long shot” — but a calculated one. “Just to see what was possible. I tried, and I gave everything,” he said. “The legs were pretty empty in the last five kilometres. You try to keep going, but it gets harder and harder. When you hear it’s still 20 or 30 seconds, you know they’ll close it quickly in the finale.”

Still, the smile on Hagenes’ face said plenty. The Norwegian looks to be back — and could yet play an important role for Visma | Lease a Bike this spring, whether for himself or in service of the team. “That’s hard to say,” he concluded. “But if I stay healthy and keep improving, it’s possible to be there in other classics too. I hope I can help the team.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])