'He made every part of the team better' - Visma-Lease a Bike move on after departure of Grand Tour mastermind

September 30 marked the end of an era at Visma-Lease a Bike as sportive director and Grand Tour mastermind Merijn Zeeman had his final day with the squad after 12 years, 420 victories and a complete rebuild of the Dutch outfit into one of cycling's super teams.

Both riders and staff have described his departure as a huge loss for the team going forward after he cultivated a culture of success alongside team boss Richard Plugge and head coach Grischa Niermann, with the Dutchman moving on to the football world as general manager of his home club AZ Alkmaar.

Zeeman arrived as assistant sports director from Argos Shimano, now DSM-Firmenich PostNL, in 2013 after the dark days of Rabobank came to a close and the team rebranded as Blanco and then Belkin, requiring more change than just to the name.

"The most difficult years were at the beginning after Rabobank had left. The culture and atmosphere in the team were the opposite of what you intended in everything,"  Zeeman explained in an interview with de Volkskrant. 

"Challenging each other, gossiping, every man for himself, leaking to the media. If you talk about an unsafe work environment, it was there. It was very unpleasant."

Zeeman stepped up to the role of sportive director in 2017. From rider management to staff treatment and equipment selection, Zeeman then ensured that Visma went on to maximise performance at all levels and compete with the likes of Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers in the WorldTour, the dominating team of much of the 2010s.

With a complete overhaul of the team's culture, this resulted in the then Jumbo-Visma becoming cycling's top team in 2023 and dominating all three of the Grand Tours with three different riders - Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss. 

In Visma's rise to the top, they've managed triumphs at four Vueltas a España, two Tours de France and one Giro d'Italia. And Zeeman's influence in that rise cannot be understated. 

"It is indeed a very big loss. I was also a big fan of his and I will miss him a lot, but on the other hand, he needed a new challenge and I can understand that,"  long-term DS Frans Maassen told Cyclingnews regarding Zeeman's departure from the team.

"He made every part of the team better in every way. Not only the riders but also the staff and the equipment, he put a lot of pressure everywhere to become better and it's a lot of credit to him that we achieved such a high level."

Zeeman oversaw the development of Visma's top stars, particularly at 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.

"When I first joined, we were seen as underdogs. But through hard work, resilience and belief in one another, we transformed into one of the best cycling teams in the world," said Zeeman. "It's been a journey I'm deeply proud to have been a part of."

Bringing in new transfers

His work was not only exemplary in the development of those on the team, but also with those wanted by the Dutch squad. Zeeman was key in the transfers of Matteo Jorgenson and even Simon Yates, who will join the team after the Dutchman is gone in 2025.

Jorgenson didn't hide his disappointment at Zeeman's decision to leave when speaking to Cyclingnews and a small group of media before the GP Québec, leading the American to even feel the need to let his team know how vital he thought his exit would be. 

"It's pretty big. I won't lie to you about it. He was the guy who brought me into the team. He's my first point of contact, and he's also been a mentor throughout this whole year for me," said Jorgenson. 

"I see it as a big loss for the team and I've also told the team that. But that was his decision fully, it's not like he's got fired or something.

"I really like him. We have a really good relationship, and I can tell he had a huge part in shaping the whole team, and I don't think that's going to go away overnight."

Yates had a similar sentiment to his soon-to-be teammate, expressing how important Zeeman was in persuading him to leave Jayco AlUla and take a pay cut after racing his whole 11-year career with the Australian squad.

"It's massive, actually, because we were discussing for quite a long time and I was still a bit reserved about whether or not to go. It was obviously a very interesting offer and an idea, but I was still a little bit on the fence," said Yates to a small group of media including Cyclingnews.

"I've been on this team [Jacyo AIUIa] for 11 years, this is my team, let's say football terms - I support this team. But he [Zeeman] called me up and he just finally convinced me to sort of push it over the line."

Replacing their Grand Tour architect

As Zeeman departs, Visma begins to operate with a five-man sports management team consisting of Grischa Niermann, Jacco Verhaeren, Mathieu Heijboer, Robbert de Groot and Patrick Broe, all under the leadership of CEO Richard Plugge.

In their new model, Niermann is responsible for race strategy and selection, Heijboer for innovation in nutrition, equipment and training and De Groot for talent development. 

The more striking cases are Broe, well-known as the creator of the popular Lantern Rouge YouTube channel and podcast, and Verhaeren, the highly decorated Olympic swimming trainer. The former will be responsible for race analysis and strategy consultancy, the latter for providing an outside-in view as a coach of coaches, trainer and sports innovator. 

"We have always said that we wanted to solve the unfortunate departure of Merijn Zeeman internally," said Plugge when Visma revealed their new management structure in June. "That is why we have left it in the hands of our well-known specialists, who will do this in close consultation with the entire staff."

Riders are confident that what Zeeman has built in the past seven years will hold up, however, with that newly cultivated culture of success not disappearing with his departure. 

"I think he set up systems that will stay for a long time, like, the philosophies that he had are now kind of built into the team," said Jorgenson.

"I'm confident, though, that this team will find a solution to at least fill his role, whether that's bringing someone new in or kind of using few guys that are already in the team to fill his positions."

"We learned a lot and everyone can be replaced but of course, it will be a big loss," agreed Maassen. 

However, following Pogačar's near-complete domination of the 2024 race calendar from the Giro d'Italia to the Tour de France and the recent World Championships, as well as numerous other successes for the Slovenian and other riders, it's UAE that are the team to beat now. 

Just a year ago, as Sepp Kuss took home the Vuelta a España and Visma swept the whole podium after the team had already conquered the Giro and Tour, that position was held by Visma-Lease a Bike, but it has already been eclipsed by the Middle Eastern squad. 

And after a 2024 season plagued by crashes and injuries for the team's big stars Vingegaard and Van Aert, and without their lead sports director in 2025, when it comes to trying to bring the 'killer bees' back to the top spot of professional cycling, Visma-Lease a Bike's new managerial line-up know they have work to do.