The Tour de France cannot be won alone. While the form, skill and endurance of a general classification leader is crucial in the pursuit of the yellow jersey, history has proven time and again that this bike race is about more than just that. Having teammates who are prepared to sacrifice it all with the aim of protecting and supporting a GC rider plays a big part when it comes to both staying safe and conserving energy over three weeks. We’ve seen the likes of Visma-Lease a Bike execute complex tactical plans with satellite riders over the last few seasons – something that is only possible with a team of athletes at the very top of their game.
When selecting a squad for the Tour, there are plenty of factors that sports directors need to consider. While the mountain stages are where much of the general classification is usually decided, riders who are suited to flat and punchy stages are needed to set the climbers up for these big days. There will be requirements for riders who can do big turns on the front to control breakaways, as well as those who will prove invaluable on the earlier parts of climbs to set the pace and prime their GC men for attacks. The stakes don’t get bigger than at the Tour, so teams need to get this right.
In 2025, Visma-Lease a Bike will come to the Tour de France with the aim of returning to the halcyon days of Jonas Vingegaard’s back-to-back victories at the race in 2022 and 2023. It was in those years that the team in yellow and black dominated, looking unflappable in the mountains and like a strong collective force who were, at times, able to outsmart and outnumber their key rivals – namely UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar. Since then, however, the tables have turned with the Slovenian rider stepping up in the last two years and starting to look unbeatable, regardless of the other team’s tactics.
However, if there is one line-up that is going to get Vingegaard as close as possible to beating his long-term closest competitor, Pogačar, it is Visma-Lease a Bike in 2025. With Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Victor Campenaerts and Edoardo Affini forming the squad that are going to help their Danish climber reclaim yellow, Visma are looking like a varied and versatile team for the Tour this season.
If we want to get an indication for how the likes of Yates and Van Aert will perform, we can look to the Giro d’Italia a last month. The British rider won the maglia rosa in spectacular style with his long-range attack on the penultimate stage after riding a consistent and measured race. Van Aert was integral to Yates’ victory, acting as a satellite rider on stage 20 by going ahead in the breakaway, before pulling a monster turn in the valley to help Yates’ gap to the other GC riders grow as much as possible. There aren’t any other riders who can what the Belgian rider can when he is in top form – Van Aert’s versatility makes him an invaluable weapon for Visma-Lease a Bike this year. One thing that was obvious at the Giro was Van Aert’s openness to sacrificing himself for a teammate, especially when he had his own chances to go for stage wins earlier in the race. It is likely that the team will give him freedom on the days that suit him to go for individual victories at the Tour too, but they know that Van Aert can then be relied on to give it all back for his GC leader at the time of asking.
One consideration when it comes to the riders who have just taken part in the Giro, however, is fatigue. While Yates secured the biggest win of his career in Italy, his form is relatively unknown given there would have been inevitable celebrations after the Giro. The stress of riding for victory at a Grand Tour cannot be underestimated, and it is clear that race was his priority ahead of the Tour where he will be a domestique for Vingegaard. On paper, Yates is an asset in the mountains, but there are some question marks over how he will carry the load from the Giro.
Sepp Kuss is also expected to fit into Visma-Lease a Bike’s mountain train. The former Vuelta a España winner can be one of the best climbers in the world on his day, though he hasn’t quite been at that standard over the last two seasons. However, Kuss is reliable and has targeted this Tour, showing promising signs at his last race, the Critérium du Dauphiné. If Kuss has improved his form since then, he could be a force to be reckoned with in the mountains. Matteo Jorgenson is another super-domestique for Vingegaard and his sixth place at the Dauphiné and Paris-Nice win this season means there are very few doubts about what the American rider can do for his Danish leader this summer.
Outside of the climbers on the team, Tiesj Benoot, Victor Campenaerts and Edoardo Affini form Vingegaard’s support for the flat and punchier stages in this year’s Tour. The importance of this trio cannot be underestimated: the opening week features a number of Ardennes-style rolling stages which is prime territory for an unexpected, explosive Pogačar attack. Riders like Benoot and Campenaerts will need to ensure Vingegaard is positioned well and alert to the danger of UAE Team Emirates-XRG – controlling the race could end up being crucial here to avoid any time losses before the mountains begin. It is likely that Van Aert could be hunting for stage wins here, so the pressure to keep Vingegaard safe will lie with his teammates.
However, while Visma-Lease a Bike appears to have a well-balanced, strong team for the Tour this year, there is one, key obstacle for the Dutch outfit: Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian rider’s performances in recent seasons have defied expectations and rewritten the rules of Grand Tour racing, and his team has also increased their game to try and support their superstar as much as possible. UAE also come to this race with a stacked line-up that will be especially powerful in the hilly/mid mountains which could make it incredibly tricky for Visma to isolate Pogačar like they managed to do in the 2022 and 2023 editions. It’s true that Visma has a team of supremely talented individuals, but the key to winning the Tour in the last few seasons has been one thing: dominance. Is this line-up going to be enough?
