Team Visma | Lease a Bike is travelling to the 80th edition of the Vuelta a España, which starts next Saturday in Turin, Italy, with great ambitions and a strong line-up. Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard is the undisputed captain of the team and, after finishing second in the Tour de France, is now aiming for overall victory in the Tour of Spain. The 28-year-old climbing specialist will be supported by a select team, including Sepp Kuss, winner of the 2023 Vuelta, from the USA and his compatriot Matteo Jorgenson. The eight-man squad is completed by Dutchman Wilco Kelderman, Brit Ben Tulett, Belgian Victor Campenaerts, Dutchman Dylan van Baarle and Frenchman Axel Zingle. "Overall victory is our big goal, so we don't need to beat about the bush," says sporting director Grischa Niermann, explaining the team's clear objective.
The Vuelta line-up of Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Vingegaard with special memories of the Vuelta
For Jonas Vingegaard, the Tour of Spain is associated with special memories. "I rode my first Grand Tour here in 2020, which we won with Primož Roglič," says the Dane, looking back. Vingegaard now wants to stand at the top of the podium himself in his third participation in the Vuelta. After the Tour de France, the two-time Tour winner first recovered and then prepared specifically for the Tour of Spain. "Over the last few weeks, I've been at an individual training camp with the support of the local team," reports Vingegaard. The intensive preparation should pay off, because the competition is strong. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) are other top riders at the start who also have ambitions for overall victory.
"There are some interesting stages, including the team time trial and the individual time trial in stage 18, and of course the finishes on the Angliru and the Bola del Mundo are always something special," emphasises Grischa Niermann. The notorious Alto de l'Angliru in stage 13 is considered one of the toughest climbs in cycling with gradients of up to 23 per cent and could bring a preliminary decision in the battle for overall victory.
A strong team is the key to success
With a well-balanced team, Visma | Lease a Bike aims to provide its captain with optimum support in every race situation. "Jonas is our leader and our best chance of overall victory. But with Sepp Kuss we have a former winner at the start, and Matteo Jorgenson has recovered well after the Tour de France," says Niermann, explaining the strength of the team.
