Why are more and more riders leaving Visma | Lease a Bike for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale

Leaving what is still arguably one of the best WorldTour teams in the world for the up-and-coming Decathlon may seem like a crazy move. However, according to Benoot, everyone in the peloton is on board with the decision. “You see a team that has changed enormously in terms of structure over the past few months. In terms of knowledge, they also have the same quantitative and qualitative resources as the top teams.”

Staune-Mittet has already said that there is now an international focus, with more and more diverse nationalities coming in. Benoot is set to become one of the leaders, although he doesn't see it that way himself. Let's see what happens, he says. “I've often achieved good results that way and hope that next year will be the same, by getting to the final with lots of teammates.”

Benoot emphasizes that he is not leaving Visma | Lease a Bike because of a lack of opportunities. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale will also have several leaders, including in the Grand Tours. “I never felt like I was stuck as a pure domestique during the spring classics, as was the case in the road race at the Paris Olympics, when I rode at the front for the first few hours.”

So why leave? Benoot calls it “a combination of factors,” which he took a long time to consider. “My new team has a vision and structure that I believe in. I also get on very well with the new CEO, Dominique Serieys, a man with a vision with whom I immediately clicked. He and the team made me feel very early on in the season that they really wanted me.”

At Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Benoot will also be able to earn a little more. “In that respect, too, my new team showed how much they wanted me. The new offer from Richard (Plugge, director of Visma | Lease a Bike, ed.) was outstanding and not at all disrespectful. I think it was a realistic offer for him, based on what he could and wanted to offer for a rider like me.”

“I am grateful to him for that, but I know that everyone is replaceable, including Tiesj Benoot,” he said, who has already received plenty of reactions from his current team, including Wout van Aert. “I will miss Wout both as a personality, a teammate, and a person. I don't want to beat around the bush about it, but cycling is and remains my job and not just a group of friends. Wout knows that too.”

“He sincerely congratulated me on my transfer,” said Benoot, who is grateful for his time with the Killer Bees. But new powerhouses with big sponsors are coming into cycling. “None of my colleagues misunderstood my choice. It helped me make that decision, especially since I'm not leaving with any hard feelings.”