With the forthcoming return of Rabobank as co-title sponsor – a surprise announcement that injects funds into the team but is an uncomfortable reminder of the dark doping days of the original Rabobank team of yesteryear – it’s tempting to write that Visma-Lease a Bike, set to be largely financed by the second biggest bank in the Netherlands for the first time since 2012, are as Dutch as they could possibly be. But at this summer’s Tour de France, their team of eight riders will be rather un-Dutch, for it is expected that there’ll be no representation from the Netherlands. That means no Wilco Kelderman or Steven Kruijswijk – stalwarts of the team’s Tour successes in recent years – and no Olav Kooij or Dylan van Baarle. They’ll be led by a Dane, have Belgians (three), Americans (two), and a Brit and Frenchman, but no Dutchman. When the Dutch cycling fraternity made this realisation at the end of January, it prompted anger and outcry.

“It’ll soon be very difficult for the Dutch to support Visma,” former Tour stage winner Michael Boogerd predicted. “How can we still call this team the flagbearer of Dutch cycling?” he added. Fellow ex-pro Tom Dumoulin expressed his dismay, too. “If they really want to convey that they are a Dutch team, you select a Dutchman,” he said. And adding his voice to the burning fire was former Rabobank rider Stef Clement. “The term ‘Dutch team’ no longer has any value,” he fumed. 

This article was published on Rouleur in March 2025. You can read the full article here.