Team Visma-Lease a Bike Archives

Van Aert ‘happy to be back training outside’ just four weeks after horror crash

April 23, 2024

Wout van Aert is back on his bike – only four weeks after a horror crash in which he broke a collarbone.

Van Aert had to go under the knife for an operation after the crash, which also left him with a broken sternum, several broken ribs and damaged a lung.

The Belgian is still expected to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, having already missed the Paris-Roubaix earlier this month.

No date has been pencilled in for his return yet, but the video on X, formerly Twitter, shows van Aert back out cycling on the road, and he jokingly quips: “If you want to have a tasty ice cream, you need to turn right here.”

‘Hopefully the setbacks are behind me’ – Van Empel recovers from illness for Amstel Gold Race

April 14, 2024

Visma-Lease a Bike rider Fem van Empel is “looking forward” to competing in this weekend’s Amstel Gold Race after overcoming a period of illness.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a successful cyclo-cross season, retaining her world title in February. But she fell ill after completing a road racing training camp and was forced to miss Gent–Wevelgem in March.

Van Empel recovered to compete in the Tour of Flanders, placing 17th, but she then fell ill again.

“The Tour of Flanders was a great experience with all the spectators along the roadside,” Van Empel told the Visma-Lease a Bike website. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I was sick again and spent more time in bed than on the bike for a week.

“Fortunately, I felt much better this week. Hopefully, the setbacks are behind me now.”

Van Empel will now compete in front of a Dutch home crowd in the Amstel Gold Race, which will be live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Highlights: Van Empel retains title at World Championships with flawless performance

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “It is always fun to race in your own country; I know that from the cyclo-cross races. My family will be with me.

“The profile of the Amstel Gold Race is within my capabilities, but I am especially curious about my physical condition. We have a strong team, which makes different scenarios possible. I want to make my contribution to the team.”

Van Empel’s team-mate Marianne Vos won the Amstel Gold Race in 2021 and is currently in excellent form after finishing fourth at Paris-Roubaix last weekend.

Riejanne Markus, Eva van Agt, Anna Henderson and Sophie von Berswordt Wallrabe make up the rest of the Visma-Lease a Bike team.

“I would be lying if I said we were not going for the win,” said Rutger Tijssen, Visma-Lease a Bike’s technical director. “We are starting with a solid team.

“I’m sure we’ll be fighting for victory. How great will it be to win the Amstel Gold Race again as a Dutch team?”

Stream top cycling action, including all three Grand Tours, live on discovery+.

Van Aert ‘uncertain’ for Giro d’Italia after operation

March 28, 2024

Wout van Aert’s participation at the Giro d’Italia is “uncertain” after he suffered multiple broken bones in a serious crash, Team Visma – Lease a Bike has announced.

Van Aert then underwent an operation on Thursday after breaking his sternum, collarbone and “several” ribs.

Although the recovery time remains “unclear”, his involvement at the first Grand Tour of the year in Italy, which starts on May 4, looks to be in serious doubt.

“Wout van Aert had a successful operation today,” Visma – Lease a Bike wrote on social media. “Examination revealed that he suffered a broken sternum, broken collarbone and several broken ribs.

“It is unclear when Wout will be able to get back on his bike. The next few weeks will be all about his recovery.

“He will, therefore, miss the Spring Classics. His participation in the Giro d’Italia is still uncertain. We will make a decision in the coming weeks based on his recovery.

“On behalf of Wout, we thank everyone for their support. He now hopes to continue his recovery in peace.”

Van Aert went down in a serious incident 60km from the finish of Wednesday’s race, where a pile-up left many riders requiring medical treatment and the Belgian with his jersey ripped almost entirely off his body.

It is a big blow to Visma – Lease a Bike, who will be without one of their star names and most important team members.

Van Aert is a nine-time stage winner at the Tour de France, where he won the points classification in 2022.

He has never previously contested the Giro d’Italia and now looks unlikely to start this year.

Primoz Roglic is the reigning champion in Italy after taking the pink jersey for the first time in 2023 while riding for Jumbo-Visma, but he has since departed for Bora-Hansgrohe.

Stream top cycling action, including all three 2024 Grand Tours, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘A very nice highlight’ – Vos beats Van Anrooij in sprint to land 250th career win

March 27, 2024

Visma-Lease a Bike rider Marianne Vos landed the 250th win of her glittering career after a superb finish at the Dwars door Vlaanderen.

The 36-year-old secured victory in a time of 3:18.39 after outsprinting Lidl-Trek’s Shirin van Anrooij.

Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) came in third place, as she was the best finisher in the group of four chasers who were a further 15 seconds behind.

“Over the years you can make a lot of memories of different highs and lows and then this is definitely a very nice highlight.”

Proceedings got underway to a drama-free start, perhaps down to some of the climbs being removed from the course after the race was neutralised due to a car accident.

However, once back underway, things eventually started to liven up, as it became clear that a sprint finish was in store.

Vos holds off Van Anrooij to clinch Dwars door Vlaanderen victory

The Lidl-Trek trio of Elisa Longo Borghini, Lucinda Brand and van Anrooij eventually decided to break away from the pack with around 30km of the 130km course remaining.

SD Worx-Protime duo Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering – who is to leave the team at the end of the season – tried to stick with them, but it was Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Vos, Paternoster and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) who managed to eventually haul the leading bunch back in.

When Brand dropped away, the remaining sextet ultimately opened up a 30-second advantage on the peloton, and it was Vos and Van Anrooij who had the legs to out-pace their rivals over the final 12km.

A two-up sprint was the result, despite the best efforts for Longo Borghini to stick with her rivals, with Vos prevailing by a narrow margin as she landed her second victory of the season.

“It is always nice to win a race for the first time,” she added. “At the beginning of spring, I didn’t dare dream that I would start my season like this. The fact that I already have two victories now is definitely very special.

“Shirin is an incredibly strong rider and when she accelerates, you shouldn’t hesitate too long.

“In the sprint I tried to catch her and then it’s sprinting with everything you have left. Luckily it worked out well.”

Stream all the top cycling action, including the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live and on-demand on discovery+.