Visma | Lease a Bike Women has stated that it will head into Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Omloop van het Hageland without a designated leader, as Marianne Vos delays her season start. The Dutch team, which saw Vos win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last year, has acknowledged that its expectations for the Flemish opening weekend are modest but maintains that it aims to make an impact.
The team has confirmed that its lineup for the weekend will include Eva van Agt, Margaux Vigié, Sophie von Berswordt, Femke de Vries, Carlijn Achtereekte and Nienke Veenhoven. They explained that Vos, who recently recovered from a calf injury sustained during the cyclocross season, will only return to racing in March at Milan-Sanremo Women. In the meantime, she has been training at altitude in Tenerife alongside Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who is set to begin her Classics season at Strade Bianche having already raced at the UAE Tour this year.
Eva Van Agt has said that she is eager to take on the cobbled classics, having started her season in Spain. She has described the early races as “a bit hectic” due to her time away from competition but has stated that things improved quickly and that the team “really gave it our all.” She has highlighted Femke de Vries’ top-10 finish in the general classification as a positive outcome from those early efforts. According to Van Agt, she has now recovered well and feels ready for the opening weekend.
The Dutch rider has expressed that the cobbled classics suit her despite the inherent chaos, explaining that she enjoys racing over cobblestones because they make the race harder, which she finds exciting. She has described the spring classics as events that create a sense of urgency, with riders needing to “stay up front and dive into the gaps,” adding that they also bring tension.
Focus on Veenhoven
Visma | Lease a Bike has indicated that it sees an opportunity for other riders to step up in Vos’ absence. Sports director Jan Boven has pointed to Nienke Veenhoven as one to watch this weekend, highlighting her third-place finish in the UAE Tour’s opening stage as an encouraging sign. He has explained that she crashed at an unfortunate moment in last year’s race but recovered well and rode strongly. He has also noted that she has made significant progress in recent months and that the team is curious to see how she performs in this field.
Boven has stated that the team hopes to have riders in the early break and aims to remain competitive for as long as possible. He has said that they want to “make ourselves valuable, especially in the middle part of the race,” and has expressed hope that the team will be visible at the front throughout the event.
Building towards Strade Bianche
The team has acknowledged that it does not have a clear favourite for this weekend but has indicated that its focus is already shifting towards the bigger spring classics. Boven has said that preparation for the key races has been going well and that starting without a defined leader in the opening weekend will allow the squad to race with more freedom. However, he has stressed that from Strade Bianche onwards, the team expects to be targeting top results. He has confirmed that Vos and Ferrand-Prévot are progressing as planned at altitude.
Visma | Lease a Bike has suggested that, without the pressure of defending Vos’ victory from last year, it will have the freedom to race aggressively and test its early-season form against a strong field.
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
