September 30 marked the tip of an period at Visma-Lease a Bike as sportive director and Grand Tour mastermind Merijn Zeeman had his closing day with the squad after 12 years, 420 victories and an entire rebuild of the Dutch outfit into considered one of biking’s tremendous groups.
Each riders and employees have described his departure as an enormous loss for the staff going ahead after he cultivated a tradition of success alongside staff boss Richard Plugge and head coach Grischa Niermann, with the Dutchman transferring on to the soccer world as common supervisor of his dwelling membership AZ Alkmaar.
Zeeman arrived as assistant sports activities director from Argos Shimano, now DSM-Firmenich PostNL, in 2013 after the darkish days of Rabobank got here to an in depth and the staff rebranded as Blanco after which Belkin, requiring extra change than simply to the identify.
“Probably the most tough years have been firstly after Rabobank had left. The tradition and ambiance within the staff have been the other of what you supposed in all the pieces,” Zeeman defined in an interview with de Volkskrant.
“Difficult one another, gossiping, each man for himself, leaking to the media. If you happen to discuss an unsafe work setting, it was there. It was very disagreeable.”
Zeeman stepped as much as the function of sport director in 2017. From rider administration to employees remedy and gear choice, Zeeman then ensured that Visma went on to maximise efficiency in any respect ranges and compete with the likes of Group Sky/Ineos Grenadiers within the WorldTour, the dominating staff of a lot of the 2010s.
With an entire overhaul of the staff’s tradition, this resulted within the then Jumbo-Visma turning into biking’s prime staff in 2023 and dominating all three of the Grand Excursions with three completely different riders – Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss.
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In Visma’s rise to the highest, they’ve managed triumphs at 4 Vueltas a España, two Excursions de France and one Giro d’Italia. And Zeeman’s affect in that rise can’t be understated.
“It’s certainly a really huge loss. I used to be additionally a giant fan of his and I’ll miss him rather a lot, however then again, he wanted a brand new problem and I can perceive that,” long-term DS Frans Maasen instructed Cyclingnews concerning Zeeman’s departure from the staff.
“He made each a part of the staff higher in each approach. Not solely the riders but in addition the employees and the gear, he put a variety of stress all over the place to turn into higher and it is a variety of credit score to him that we achieved such a excessive stage.”
Zeeman oversaw the event of Visma’s prime stars, significantly on the Tour de France, from sprinter Dylan Groenewegen to Roglič, Vingegaard and Wout van Aert after he joined in 2019, all of whom he singled out in his farewell video.
“After I first joined, we have been seen as underdogs. However by laborious work, resilience and perception in each other, we remodeled into among the finest biking groups on the planet,” stated Zeeman. “It has been a journey I am deeply proud to have been part of.”
Bringing in new transfers
His work was not solely exemplary within the growth of these on the staff, but in addition with these needed by the Dutch squad. Zeeman was key within the transfers of Matteo Jorgenson and even Simon Yates, who will be a part of the staff after the Dutchman is gone in 2025.
Jorgenson did not conceal his disappointment at Zeeman’s resolution to depart when chatting with Cyclingnews and a small group of media earlier than the GP Québec, main the American to even really feel the necessity to let his staff understand how very important he thought his exit can be.
“It is fairly huge. I will not mislead you about it. He was the man who introduced me into the staff. He is my first level of contact, and he is additionally been a mentor all through this entire 12 months for me,” stated Jorgenson.
“I see it as a giant loss for the staff and I’ve additionally instructed the staff that. However that was his resolution totally, it isn’t like he is obtained fired or one thing.
“I actually like him. We’ve a extremely good relationship, and I can inform he had an enormous half in shaping the entire staff, and I do not suppose that is going to go away in a single day.”
Yates had the same sentiment to his soon-to-be teammate, expressing how essential Zeeman was in persuading him to depart Jayco AlUla and take a pay minimize after racing his entire 11-year profession with the Australian squad.
“It is huge, really, as a result of we have been discussing for fairly a very long time and I used to be nonetheless a bit reserved about whether or not or to not go. It was clearly a really attention-grabbing provide and an concept, however I used to be nonetheless a bit bit on the fence,” stated Yates to a small group of media together with Cyclingnews.
“I have been on this staff [Jacyo AIUIa] for 11 years, that is my staff, as an example soccer phrases – I help this staff. However he [Zeeman] known as me up and he simply lastly satisfied me to form of push it over the road.”
Changing their Grand Tour architect
As Zeeman departs, Visma begins to function with a five-man sports activities administration staff consisting of Grischa Niermann, Jacco Verhaeren, Mathieu Heijboer, Robbert de Groot and Patrick Broe, all underneath the management of CEO Richard Plugge.
Of their new mannequin, Niermann is accountable for race technique and choice, Heijboer for innovation in diet, gear and coaching and De Groot for expertise growth.
The extra placing circumstances are Broe, well-known because the creator of the favored Lantern Rouge YouTube channel and podcast, and Verhaeren, the extremely embellished Olympic swimming coach. The previous will probably be accountable for race evaluation and technique consultancy, the latter for offering an outside-in view as a coach of coaches, coach and sports activities innovator.
“We’ve at all times stated that we needed to resolve the unlucky departure of Merijn Zeeman internally,” stated Plugge when Visma revealed their new administration construction in June. “That’s the reason now we have left it within the fingers of our well-known specialists, who will do that in shut session with your complete employees.”
Riders are assured that what Zeeman has constructed prior to now seven years will maintain up, nevertheless, with that newly cultivated tradition of success not disappearing along with his departure.
“I believe he arrange techniques that may keep for a very long time, like, the philosophies that he had are actually sort of constructed into the staff,” stated Jorgenson.
“I am assured, although, that this staff will discover a resolution to not less than fill his function, whether or not that is bringing somebody new in or sort of utilizing few guys which are already within the staff to fill his positions.”
“We realized rather a lot and everybody may be changed however in fact, will probably be a giant loss,” agreed Maassen.
Nonetheless, following Pogačar’s near-complete domination of the 2024 race calendar from the Giro d’Italia to the Tour de France and the current World Championships, in addition to quite a few different successes for the Slovenian and different riders, it is UAE which are the staff to beat now. Only a 12 months in the past, as Sepp Kuss took dwelling the Vuelta a España and Visma swept the entire podium after the staff had already conquered the Giro and Tour, that place was held by Visma-Lease a Bike, however it has already been eclipsed by the Center Japanese squad. And after a 2024 season affected by crashes and accidents for the staff’s huge stars Vingegaard and Van Aert, and with out their lead sports activities director in 2025, relating to attempting to convey the ‘killer bees’ again to the highest spot {of professional} biking, Visma-Lease a Bike’s new managerial line-up know they’ve work to do.
