Team Visma | Lease a Bike has confirmed the signing of Austrian rider Katharina Sadnik, who joins the team on a two-year contract as she transitions from mountain biking to full-time road racing.
The 22-year-old arrives from KTM Factory MTB Team after an impressive 2025 campaign in which she won the Women’s U23 UCI XCC World Cup overall title, alongside a string of podium finishes across the XCC and XCO circuits.
“I started mountain biking when I was around nine years old,” Sadnik said. “One of my teachers saw me ride and told my parents I had talent, and that’s how it all started. I’ve loved the sport ever since.”
Sadnik’s success on the trails has been complemented by a growing interest in road racing. “I’d been thinking about it for a while,” she explained. “I spent a lot of time training on the road and loved the speed. I rode the Tour de l’Avenir and Tour de Féminine this year, where I finished tenth overall, and that really made me want to experience more.”
The Austrian described her move to Team Visma | Lease a Bike as a dream opportunity. “I never thought the team would be interested in me,” she admitted. “When the first contact came, I couldn’t believe it. I have a lot of respect for what this team stands for and I’m really proud to become part of it. I want to learn, to support my teammates, and to grow into a valuable team player.”
Sadnik’s background as a technically gifted mountain biker makes her a natural fit for the spring classics, where positioning, handling, and resilience are key. She says she is particularly excited by the prospect of racing at events like Paris-Roubaix Femmes, and sees her future in the tough one-day races that define the early European season.
Team manager Rutger Tijssen believes her skill set will make an immediate impact. “Katharina comes from mountain biking, which has given her exceptional bike handling skills,” he said. “That will be very useful in the spring classics. We see a role for her in supporting our team in these races. She’s still young, but she has a lot of potential, and we’ll give her the time and space to grow into the role we have in mind for her.”
Sadnik’s 2025 season results highlight her rapid development as a versatile rider. On the road, she finished tenth overall at the Tour de l’Avenir and placed fourth on stage four of the Tour de Féminine, while in mountain biking, she scored a win at Pal Arinsal XCC U23, podiums at Val di Sole and Araxá, and multiple top-five finishes at World Cup rounds.
With her all-round talent, technical ability, and strong mentality, Katharina Sadnik looks poised to become one of the most promising new names in the peloton as she begins her next chapter with Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
Main image credit: Visma | Lease a Bike
