Fabio Jakobsen completes immediate Visma move in bid to revive sprint career

The transfer confirms a move that had been developing since Jakobsen left Picnic PostNL by mutual consent earlier this month. The 29-year-old already acknowledged that talks with Visma had been taking place for some time, with the original discussions centred on a move for 2027. His early departure from Picnic opened the door for that switch to happen immediately.

Jakobsen will now join Visma with immediate effect, although both rider and team have made clear that there will be no rush to return him to racing. The coming months will instead focus on rebuilding his condition and adapting to the team's training, nutrition and performance methods.

For Jakobsen, it is an opportunity to start again after more than two difficult seasons.

"I've raced against the team for several years now, and seeing everything they've achieved throughout the years and how consistently they perform at the highest level, it's a dream come true to wear these colours," Jakobsen said in a press release by the team.

"My goal is to get back to the level where I can compete at the highest level again and sprint for victories. As a sprinter, you never win on your own, so being part of a strong team is essential.

"I believe this is one of the best performance environments in the world. I believe we can learn from each other and continue to improve together. There's a lot of work ahead, but I'm confident this is the right environment to make progress."

Head of Performance Mathieu Heijboer said the team had specifically been searching for a rider capable of contesting pure flat sprints and became increasingly convinced that Jakobsen could still return to that level.

"We had been looking for a specialist for the pure flat sprints," Heijboer said. "The more we looked into Fabio's situation, the more convinced we became that there is still a great deal of untapped potential.

"We believe we can create the right environment to help him unlock it. At the same time, having Fabio join us now allows us to start working with Fabio straight away instead of waiting until next season."

Jakobsen had already described Visma's interest as a "project" when he spoke about the talks earlier this month, and the team is prepared to give him time before bringing him back into competition.

His last victory came on the opening stage of the Tour of Türkiye in April 2024. His spell at Picnic PostNL failed to deliver the fresh start both sides had hoped for, with physical problems also disrupting his time at the team. Jakobsen underwent surgery on both iliac arteries in 2025 after restricted blood flow was discovered.

The goal is to get Jakobsen back to the level that once made him one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton. He has won five stages of the Vuelta a España, took a Tour de France stage in 2022 and became European champion later that year.

Those victories also came after his recovery from the serious crash at the 2020 Tour of Poland, which put his career in doubt. 

Six years on, Jakobsen faces a very different kind of comeback, with Visma convinced there is still enough potential to make him a winner again.