Team Visma-Lease a Bike have announced another key signing for 2025, confirming that Simon Yates will boost their Grand Tour squad.
On Thursday Visma-Lease a Bike revealed that Frenchman Alex Zingle will join the team from Cofidis to bolster their Classics unit, while Olympic mountain bike gold medalist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is expected to announce a move to the Visma-Lease a Bike women's team later in August.
Visma-Lease a Bike are expected to lose Jan Tratnik and twins Mick and Tim van Dijke to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, but Mike Teunissen is expected to return to the team to lead out Olav Kooij in the sprints. Four riders from the Visma-Lease a Bike development team are expected to step up to WorldTour level in 2025, including 18-year-old Briton Matthew Brennan.
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Simon Yates will swap a leadership role at Jayco-Alula to ride alongside Jonas Vingegaard. He is likely to provide vital support for the Tour de France in a similar role to what his twin brother does for Tadej Pogačar at UAE Team Emirates and also lead Visma-Lease a Bike at other stage races.
"This is a team I have admired for a long time and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join,” Yates said.
“I’ve enjoyed much success in my career up to now and I look forward to continuing working hard and contributing to the success of the team.”
Yates has been with the GreenEdge set-up since 2014 and he won the 2018 Vuelta a España. He has also won stage wins in all three Grand Tours and was fourth overall at the 2023 Tour de France.
“Despite the great time I have had with my current team, I felt it was time to change teams to keep improving myself and get the most out of myself. I look forward to meeting all my new teammates and staff and hit the ground running in 2025.”
Yates has agreed a two-year contract and in many ways replaces Primož Roglič, who Visma-Lease a Bike released from his contract so he could join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
He will play a similar role to the USA’s Matteo Jorgenson and Sep Kuss, who won the 2023 Vuelta a España after always playing a key role in Visma-Lease a Bike’s Grand Tour success.
"We are very pleased to have convinced someone with such a track record to choose our team," Visa-Lease a Bike directeur sportif Grischa Niermann said of Yates.
“He is an excellent climber and a significant boost for our general classification squad. Simon will have the opportunity to go for his own results with us, but he will also be a valuable asset for the team in the mountains. We believe that with our way of working, he can reach an even higher level."
