One of the peloton’s real engines, Victor Campenaerts, has extended his contract with Visma-Lease a Bike, signing up to stay with the Dutch squad until the end of 2028.
A pro since joining Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise in 2014, Campenaerts returned to Visma in 2025 after spending two seasons with them in 2016 and 2017. He also had two spells with his former team Lotto-Dstny, most recently with the Belgian squad between 2022 and 2024 and before that for two years starting in 2018.
Campenaerts has made himself a crucial part of Visma’s Grand Tour line ups, working as a vital domestique in support of Jonas Vingegaard’s efforts to overcome Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France dominance. He was part of Vingegaard’s Giro d’Italia winning squad this year and rode with the Dane until the latter was forced out of second place at this year’ Tour de France.
"I joined the team with the ambition of becoming a valuable domestique in the Grand Tours, and that journey has gone extremely well," Campenaerts said in a team press release. "In the meantime, I have already been able to contribute to victories in both the Vuelta and the Giro, which is something I am incredibly proud of.
"I am very happy that the team continues to put its trust in me, and that they are underlining that confidence with this contract extension."
With plenty of wins of his own over the years, Campenaerts is a strong time trialist. A former Belgian and European TT champion, he has used those skills to not only win against the clock but also take road victories, perhaps most memorably at the Giro d’Italia in 2021 and the Tour de France two years later.
Analysis
Owen Rogers
Campenaerts' continued presence on the Visma-Lease a Bike team can only be a good thing for the team.
Since joining from Lotto-Dstny he has given up all personal ambition to focus completely on being a team player, and the times he has contributed to the team's goals are too many to mention.
Apparently a model professional, he's worked on his climbing to ensure he can do as much as possible to help the team's ambitions. Just think of all the times he's been seen burying himself on climbs, having decided to sacrifice his own winning ambitions for that of the team and, more specifically, Jonas Vingegaard. He's publicly stated his dream was to escort the Dane onto the Champs Elysées in the yellow jersey.
But in a team environment if you can contribute more than just your skills and physicality, you become even more valuable, and if Campenaerts' Instagram vlogs are anything to go by, he contributes a huge amount to team morale, as vital as his riding when the going gets tough.
For me Campenaerts is an asset to any team, and Visma clearly agree by awarding his new contract.
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A recent addition to the Cyclingnews staff, Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, working as a freelancer covering the sport for various magazines and websites for more than 10 years.
Initially concentrating mainly on the women's sport, he has covered hundreds of race days on the ground and interviewed some of the sport's biggest names.
Living near Cambridge in the UK, when he's not working you'll find him either riding his bike or playing drums.
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