Jumbo-Visma may have seen Primož Roglič depart for Bora-Hansgrohe this off-season, but the Dutch squad has moved to extend the contracts of their two other 2023 Grand Tour-winning stars.
According to a report from WielerFlits, the team – which will next year be known as Visma-Lease a Bike – will keep two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard on board through to the end of the 2028 season.
The Dane was previously contracted to the end of 2027, having only signed that deal back in April. He's joined in extending his stay with the squad by Vuelta a España champion Sepp Kuss, who adds three years to his deal to take his stay through 2027.
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Visma-Lease a Bike's other star rider, Wout van Aert, is under contract to the end of 2026. A cluster of other important riders, including Christophe Laporte and new signing Matteo Jorgenson, are contracted through the same season.
The news of the Vingegaard and Kuss contract extensions has yet to be confirmed by the team, though WielerFlits cites several sources in their reporting.
One contract that remains unresolved for Visma-Lease a Bike, however, is that of Belgium's rising GC star, Cian Uijtdebroeks. The 20-year-old seemingly signed a five-year deal with the team and recently attended their pre-season training camp in Spain.
However, his 2023 squad Bora-Hansgrohe has claimed that Uijtdebroeks is contracted to them through the end of 2024 and the UCI website currently lists him as a Bora rider for the upcoming season.
Regardless of the outcome of the Uijtdebroeks contract saga, the men's team will look substantially different next season thanks to major moves like the departure of Roglič, the retirement of Rohan Dennis, and the recruitment of several promising young riders – including Jorgenson, Ben Tulett, and Giro Next Gen champion Johannes Staune-Mittet.
On the women's side, cyclocross superstar Fem van Empel has seen a similar locking down of her future, reportedly signing a new deal until the end of 2027. Van Empel is 10 from 10 in the cross field this season and will head into the new year as heavy favourite to retain her world title in Tabor.
Her road career is still in its relative infancy, but at only 21 the Dutch team seem to think she can be their future both off and on the road. Bright results in 2023 include a stage win at the inaugural women's Tour de L'Avenir and strong stage finishes at the WWT-level Tour de Romandie.
The Visma-Lease a Bike 2024 team is set to be unveiled later on Thursday, December 21, with a presentation taking place in Amsterdam.
