Head of Racing about to change: Grischa Niermann from Visma to Lidl-Trek

According to consistent reports from Daniel Bensons Substack, the Dutch publication Wielerflits and the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, Grischa Niermann is about to move from Team Visma | Lease a Bike to Lidl-Trek. The German would take over the position of General Manager and replace long-time team manager Luca Guercilena. The change marks a significant upheaval at two of the most financially strong teams in professional cycling. Niermann has only held his current position as Head of Racing at Visma since 30 September 2024, when Merijn Zeeman left the team for a job in football. The exact nature of the changes at both racing teams remains officially unconfirmed, but various sources have reported different details of the planned reorganisation.

Grischa Niermann - Success story at Visma

The 50-year-old can look back on a long association with the Dutch team. After 15 years as a professional at Rabobank, Grischa Niermann ended his active career in 2012 and initially worked for the women's team and the junior team of the Dutch racing team. Since 2017, he has been part of the support team of LottoNL Jumbo, as the team was then called, initially as Sporting Director. He acted as Head Coach for several years before taking over overall responsibility for racing operations last autumn. Under his leadership, Jonas Vingegaard recently won the Giro d'Italia. During his time at Visma, Niermann made a significant contribution to ten Grand Tour victories won by Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, Simon Yates and Sepp Kuss. In addition to the successes in the grand tours, the German also accompanied Wout van Aert's triumphs in the classics.

Restructuring at Lidl-Trek

Manager Luca Guercilena has shaped the development of the Trek racing team since it was founded as Leopard Trek in 2011. The Italian built the team into one of the leading teams in cycling, both in the men's and women's categories. His departure would mean another change for the team. Lidl-Trek has undergone several management changes in the past 18 months. In July 2023, the supermarket chain Lidl acquired a majority stake in the team.

Andy Schleck was appointed Deputy General Manager in December. His brother Fränk Schleck took over the management of the women's team from Mick Rogers in the spring. Bernie Eisel moved from Sporting Director to Head of Racing in April. The team has been racing under a German licence since 2026, having previously been registered as a US racing team. Grischa Niermann, one of the most experienced coaches in the WorldTour, who has made a name for himself particularly in the preparation and organisation of Grand Tours, would take over the sporting management.