‘I think things could have been done better’ - Visma-Lease a Bike departee regrets slow development on Dutch team as he drops to continental level for 2027

Aside from veteran climber Steven Kruijswijk, who is retiring after 20 years with the team, just one rider is set to depart from Visma-Lease a Bike’s men’s team this winter.

24-year-old Loe van Belle is leaving the Dutch squad after three seasons, plus two in its development team. Once viewed as a promising Classics rider and time-triallist, Van Belle was informed in the summer that his services were no longer required.

Speaking in an interview with Wielerflits, Van Belle has lamented his development while on the team, suggesting that things could have been done better, both by himself and the backroom staff. Crashes, injuries and an iliac artery flow limitation also played roles in his inability to prove his potential, ultimately leading to his departure.

“I look back on my years at Visma-Lease a Bike with a good feeling,” he told Wielerflits. “When you look at the guidance and what you learn there as a rider in terms of tactics, racing style, and preparation for races and training camps, I don’t think you could have a better training ground. I benefited enormously from that, and I appreciate that immensely.”

“But when I look at my physical development, I think things could have been done better, both from the team and from myself.”

Van Belle’s ability was clear as an under-23 rider, when he won a stage at the Flanders Tomorrow Tour and finished 9th at the 2022 Tour de l’Avenir. He was promoted to the WorldTour team in 2024 and was utilised as a domestique for the most part, picking up a handful of top-10 results during his three seasons on the team.

While Van Belle is appreciative of the investment that Visma-Lease a Bike gave to him, he now believes that he should have spoken up for himself when it was clear that he wasn’t progressing as planned.

“I want to look at myself first and foremost. I should have been more professional in taking responsibility for my own career.”

“I have actually always very politely complied with what others said. That is how I was raised, too. If someone tells you what to do, especially when it is your boss, you do it. You assume that it is best for you. But over the past two years, I have regularly asked myself what I missed out on.”

“Shouldn't I have taken more responsibility to get the most out of my career? Shouldn't I have chosen myself a little more now and then, or banged my fist on the table more? Perhaps my situation would look different now. Do I blame myself for that? I think so, actually,” he said.

Van Belle never raced a Grand Tour with the team and has signed for Dutch continental outfit BEAT CC p/b Saxo for the 2027 season. His hope now is to return to the professional ranks in the future, having overcome health issues that have limited him.

Along with a concussion after a crash at GP de Denain this year which kept him away from racing for six weeks, the native of Zoetermeer had an iliac artery operation in 2025 - a procedure to ease a lack of blood flow which is common for cyclists.

“I had probably been riding around with that for three and a half years. After that surgery, it felt like a mental brake was released. Finally, I could race freely again, without constantly being afraid that I wouldn't be able to continue after just one effort,” he said of his iliac artery issue.

“That blockage was huge, not only physically but also mentally. Together with the team, we tried to figure out what was going on. But precisely during that period, in hindsight, I perhaps should have taken more responsibility myself. I will take that lesson with me.”

After the surgery, Van Belle made progress on the bike and hoped for a renewed contract for 2027. However, Visma-Lease a Bike decided to let the rider go, bringing in British rider Mark Donovan from Pinarello-Q36.5 and Belgian Matisse van Kerckhove from the development team.