Team Jumbo-Visma

Following in the footsteps of their highly successful men’s team, Jumbo-Visma launched a women’s team in 2021, securing the inimitable Marianne Vos as their headline rider. Teams weren’t then permitted to join the Women’s WorldTour in their first year of existence, but Jumbo-Visma were part of the unofficial top tier of teams as soon as they started, despite officially being a Continental team. They won 12 races in their first season, and another 12 in 2022, including two stage wins and five days in the yellow jersey for Vos at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

It isn’t all the Marriane Vos show, though, and Jumbo-Visma are building a solid crop of riders around the Dutch legend, including Coryn Labecki, Anna Henderson and Riejanne Markus. They picked up six new riders for 2023 to build their biggest roster yet, the most exciting of whom being cyclo-cross sensation Fem van Empel, who makes her debut in the WorldTour peloton. Jumbo-Visma could be said to be missing an out-and-out GC rider, but they have riders with a diverse mix of strengths, meaning they have options for almost every type of race or stage.

Marianne Vos

Riejanne Markus

Amber Kraak

Anna Henderson

Karlijn Swinkels

Kim Cadzow

Noemi Rüegg

Rosita Reijnhout

Fem van Empel

Linda Riedmann

Teuntje Beekhuis

Eva van Agt

Coryn Labecki

Maud Oudeman

Nienke Veenhoven

Carlijn Achtereekte

Racing

News

Race News

January Sales: Visma-Lease a Bike searching for a final rider with Boasson Hagen linked to Decathlon AG2R

It might be January but there are still riders to be found on the transfer market and both 

 have been linked with high-profile moves for experienced WorldTour pros, with 

Visma-Lease a Bike might be the most successful Grand Tour team of 2023 but they are heading into the new road season with 27 riders. For comparison, UAE Team Emirates have 30, and Ineos Grenadiers 29. 

The Dutch team has not hit the panic button but after 

 decided to retire at the start of the year a place has become vacant on the team of Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard.

Jumbo-Visma Team Talk: What does life after Roglič look like?

With most of the team’s budget wrapped up in their major leaders, and with plans already set in terms of race calendars and schedules the reality is that only a low-budget, free agent would fit the bill for the Dutch squad.

There have been reports that Odd Christian Eiking could move to the team but the management at Visma-Lease a Bike have told 

 at the end of 2023 after a relatively quiet spell on the American team. A solid climber with four Grand Tours under his belt, the Norwegian would give Richard Plugge’s team vital reinforcements during the season, and in a recent podcast the 

team suggested that the Norwegian would be a perfect fit for the squad given his all-round qualities.

The minimum number of riders in a men’s WorldTour team is 27 and the future is currently unclear regarding Michel Hessmann, who 

returned a positive test for a diuretic last year

. Regarding the reports that the team could bolster their squad with a 28th rider, a spokesperson for the team told 

: “Yes, we are looking for a replacement for Lennard, after his decision was only made in December. We’d like a rider.”

, veteran rider Edvald Boasson Hagen is on the radar of French WorldTour team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. 

Boasson Hagen was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of 2023 and has been looking for a contract ever since with the 36-year-old keen to prolong his racing career at the highest level. 

Boasson Hagen had been linked to several teams over the winter

, including dsm, Ineos Grenadiers and Uno-X but Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale now seem close to picking up the former 

 stage winner with the offer of a 17th season in the pro ranks.

Features

Racing Features

Preview: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Hulst

Mathieu van der Poel is perhaps the biggest favourite for the win in Hulst on Saturday

The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup continues on Saturday, as the round in 

 draws to a close the busy festive period which features five races in five days. Hulst is the fifth, and as a World Cup is one of the most important, meaning it’s attracting a field as stacked as what we saw in a thrilling round in 

Returning in full force for the first time since Gavere, all of the men’s 'big three' will be in action in Hulst, with 

) all opting to close out their 2023 in a muddy field in the Netherlands. On the women’s side, 

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have been pushing them hard this winter.

Cyclo-cross World Cup: Unstoppable Mathieu van der Poel solos to fourth straight victory in Gavere

Cyclo-cross World Cup: Powerful Puck Pieterse takes first win of the season in Gavere

The course in Hulst is a tricky one, with several treacherous ascents and descents on a lap where both top fitness and refined technical skills are going to be key. With so many places to make a mistake, nothing is guaranteed on this course, and even a 30-second lead could be erased with one wrong pedal stroke. 

As the final CX race of 2023, Hulst is sure to be a big one - here’s what you need to know about the elite races on Saturday.

The Hulst course is one defined by its slopes, with the treacherous descents as important as the super-steep climbs. The main climb is so steep it’s physically impossible to ride up, and even walking up carrying one’s bike can be a tricky task in the slippery mud. The key descent is wide and off-camber, narrowing towards the bottom, and crucially very steep, making it a real challenge in bike handling, and often the site of crashes or mishaps.

As well as the big ups and downs, there are lots of little, steep rises or descents on this course, and various off-camber sections that can throw riders off. As if the natural challenges weren’t difficult enough, Hulst also has three man-made bridges thrown in, plus a set of barriers, making this a technical and testing course.

There’s a big corner just before the finish, so if more than one rider comes towards the finale together, this turn can prove crucial, so a wise sprint is as important as a fast one.

In the men’s race, it’s hard to look past the so-called ‘big three’ as contenders for the win. In fact, it’s hard to even look past one man, Mathieu van der Poel. Not only is the Dutch rider unbeaten in CX so far this season, but this is his first race in the Netherlands this winter, so support and motivation will surely be on his side. Van der Poel has looked fairly unbeatable so far, putting in big solo moves to win four times already, so it’s not hard to imagine that happening again on Saturday.

Where will Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock clash this winter?

Wout van Aert will have taken some confidence from his 

victory in the Superprestige Heusden-Zolder

, but that was without the presence of Van der Poel and Pidcock, and we’re still waiting for the Belgian to really go head-to-head with his old rival. Pidcock, on the other hand, has been struggling through injury and illness, but looks to be returning to a good level, only hampered by some poor starts, though he’s very good and climbing back through a field.

Outside of the big three, Lars van der Haar and Joris Nieuwenhuis (both Baloise Trek Lions) are looking the most on-form, whilst Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and his consistent style can almost be guaranteed to be somewhere in the action. The likes of Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwel Sauzen-Bingoal), Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) and Cameron Mason (Cyclocross Reds) also can’t be overlooked, but they have definitely been bumped down the hierarchy since the big three started their campaigns.

In the women’s race, it looks like another battle between Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse is on the cards. Both have taken victories already this festive period, and look to be just a little bit above the likes of Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. Van Empel had an off-day in Gavere, losing her winning streak and giving way for Pieterse to take her first win of the season. The world champion wasn’t off form for long, though, and quickly came back to take the win in Heusden-Zolder the following day, albeit without Pieterse, though it was much closer with Alvarado than it sometimes is.

It’s difficult to say whether Van Empel will be back with a vengeance in Hulst, or if the effects of a long campaign are becoming clear, but what’s known is that the world champion is never far from the front of the race. Pieterse is the defending champion in Hulst, however, and has looked somewhat fresher than her compatriot this festive period, so will be gunning for a second consecutive World Cup victory.

With the World Cup overall standings on the line, Alvarado will definitely be near the front and looking for a top result, as will Brand, though the veteran rider has looked slower compared to the young stars in the last few races. Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) is likely to miss the race in Hulst, having broken a rib and bruised another in training recently.

Analysis

Jumbo-Visma Team Talk: Lack of clear plan B as Marianne Vos’ powers wane

Jumbo-Visma were reliant on Marianne Vos for WorldTour wins in 2023

Widely regarded as the greatest of all time, 

 is the closest thing to guaranteed wins you can find in professional cycling. Prior to 2023, she’d amassed 246 career victories, so it’s not too surprising that 

 were reliant on the flying Dutchwoman during their first two seasons. That strategy partly paid off with a respectable return of six and nine WorldTour victories in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Thirteen of those 15 were delivered by Vos. 

A rider of Vos’ quality is always going to carry a heavy burden in a team but it’s important to have contingency plans in case those wins ever dry up, a scenario that becomes increasingly likely as the Dutchwoman reaches the age where the word ‘retirement’ will start to get bandied about.

Jumbo-Visma caught a glimpse of what their post-Vos future may look like in 2023, and they won’t have been particularly confident with what they saw. Many riders would love to have matched her two WorldTour wins, but for Vos it marked a continued decline in victory output, which in turn led to the team’s worst win return in their three-year existence.

With their star rider’s powers waning, more than just being hampered by injury, the lack of a clear plan B became glaringly apparent for Jumbo-Visma, and it’s something they need to address imminently. The question is, can their existing riders and new signings make the step up in 2024, or will the team be left hoping for a Vos resurgence?

There were warning signs that Jumbo-Visma weren’t quite firing on all cylinders from the beginning of the season. By May those warning signs were bordering on a crisis, with the team’s win tally still sporting a worrying zero.

Luckily for Jumbo-Visma, Vos stepped up, as she so often does, at the 

 with two stage wins, but not before the team opened their win account in the team time trial. Clearly on a mission to correct the season’s wandering course, Jumbo-Visma claimed the opening stage TTT in nervy style, edging 

Victories often breed confidence, which in turn leads to more wins. That old adage played out in front of our eyes over the next few stages as Vos rediscovered her potent streak to win back-to-back sprint stages. Having started the month of May winless, Jumbo-Visma amassed three quick-fire victories, and the month kept on giving as 

 triumphed at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic.

From a bad start, the team had seemingly found its groove, but could they maintain that momentum? The answer would be a resounding no.

Plagued by pain and a lack of power in her left leg, Vos followed May with a winless few months before cutting her season short in August for iliac artery surgery, in a bid to mend her injury woes.

Marianne Vos rules out cyclo-cross programme in 2023 after surgery

It wasn’t just Vos who was struggling, though, as the whole team also remained winless throughout that time, barring Markus’ victory in the time trial at the Dutch National Championships. Another win didn’t follow until mid August when 

 stepped on to the top of the podium at La Périgord Ladies, but opportunities for further victories were quickly running out.

As it turned out, Jumbo-Visma’s winning ways at the WorldTour level were already over for the season, confined to that sole outing at the Vuelta Femenina. The season did bring some wins at lower-level races. 

 delivered a flurry of late victories at the AG Tour de la Semois, winning both stages and the overall, before 

 became the Swiss road race champion. That did little to alter the perception that Jumbo-Visma, without Vos to call upon, appeared to be toothless.

The team could take some solace in its off-road exploits, led by cyclocross star 

. Still only 21-years-old, the Dutchwoman already has a senior CX world title to her name. In a time when team’s are increasingly letting riders off their leashes to explore off-road avenues, it’s arguably the Jumbo-Visma’s saving grace.

But it doesn’t gloss over a road season in which the team were ultimately punished for an over-reliance on Vos, resulting in a return of only three World Tour wins, down on the nine they had in 2022.

A downturn in results caused by an over reliance on Marianne Vos.

Jumbo-Visma’s Top Five in 2024

A little worryingly for Jumbo-Visma, they are losing many of their star riders for 2024 too. Vos will remain onboard having signed a contract extension through until the end of 2025, as will Markus, but Swinkels, Kraak and Rüegg are all departing. Only five riders took wins for the team in 2023 and, these were three of them. That's some significant winning potential out of the door. 

The team will also wave goodbye to the experience of 

 who never quite recaptured the world-beating ability she displayed earlier in her career while riding in Jumbo-Visma’s yellow kit.

Taking the youthful approach, their replacements are riders who have bags of potential but are currently short on experience. Youth has become less of a barrier in cycling, as displayed within their own ranks by Van Empel, but it’s a big ask to expect these riders to contribute in their opening season.

 possess the most potential, but they can claim only one pro victory between them, although they both have age on their side. Sophie von Berswordt is another new arrival with a lack of road experience, although the 27-year-old can rely on a background on the mountain bike World Cup circuit.

 will also make the step up to WorldTour level with the team, having raced the last four seasons at Continental level, but she also doesn’t have any pro wins.

Pro cycling transfers – every move for the 2024 season

Where Jumbo-Visma’s wins will come in 2024

This is currently the million-dollar question for Jumbo-Visma, with one obvious answer. Even when she’s not at her peak, Vos is more than capable of pocketing WorldTour wins, as displayed in 2023. It was far from a stellar year for the Dutchwoman, but she was still the team’s shining light. If they use their prized asset wisely, targeting stage races where the best pure sprinters are absent, wins should flow.

They will also hope that other riders can step up, namely Van Empel. She will have been at the team for a year by the time 2024 starts, but the young Dutchwoman will be like a new signing if she places greater emphasis on the road, having only started six road races for her team in 2023. That will mean parking some of her off-road ambitions, specifically mountain biking throughout the summer months.

 and Markus are the only riders with proven race-winning ability, although both have only displayed it sporadically throughout their careers.

Considering their transfer dealings, it appears that Jumbo-Visma are transitioning to a more youth-orientated approach, something backed up by a glance at the age of their squad members. This should mean more opportunities in the future, but could come at the cost of wins. They will need to find the right balance to make the approach a success.

Team Jumbo-Visma to become Team Visma | Lease a Bike

The Dutch outfit can now call upon a squad packed with young riders, but it’s hard to look beyond Fem van Empel. With a cyclo-cross world title already to her name, applying the moniker of ‘breakout rider’ appears to be a stretch, but the 21-year-old remains unproven on the road.

There are plenty of signs that this could change in 2024, not least the ongoing 2023/2024 cyclo-cross season in which Van Empel has taken her dominance to new levels. She remains unbeaten after nine races but more pertinently, only Lucinda Brand has managed to finish within 30 seconds of her throughout those events, and that was only on one occasion. Her ability is plain to see and there’s no reason why that, with a little extra focus, can’t translate to the road.

Perhaps most exciting of all, like many of the young stars rising to the top, Van Empel has a wide range of tools to call upon. She’s displayed her sprint, vicious kick and engine in cyclo-cross, so it will be interesting to see which route her road career takes.

How would you rate Jumbo-Visma's season and do you agree that they were over-reliant on Marianne Vos? Let us know in the comments.

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Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Marianne Vos	37	255	2175
Riejanne Markus	29	9	1348
Amber Kraak	29	2	1076
Anna Henderson	25	6	972
Karlijn Swinkels	25	4	932

Team Jumbo-Visma

Team Jumbo-Visma

The Team

Top Team Jumbo-Visma Stories

January Sales: Visma-Lease a Bike searching for a final rider with Boasson Hagen linked to Decathlon AG2R

Preview: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Hulst

Jumbo-Visma Team Talk: Lack of clear plan B as Marianne Vos’ powers wane

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