Picnic confirm Jakobsen departure ahead of reported move to Visma | Lease a Bike
Fabio Jakobsen could switch between two Dutch WorldTeams before the end of the season. WielerFlits reports that the sprinter is close to signing with Visma | Lease a Bike after terminating his contract with Picnic PostNL, bringing one of the most successful yet disrupted sprinting careers of his generation to an unexpected crossroads.
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According to WielerFlits, the 29-year-old could reach an agreement with the Dutch team shortly and may even appear in Visma colours later this month.
Picnic PostNL confirmed on Monday that Jakobsen had departed the team by mutual consent, leaving him free to move immediately rather than wait until the start of the 2027 season.
"After two seasons in our colours, we say goodbye to Fabio Jakobsen. After open and constructive discussions, the team and Fabio reached a mutual decision, which means we'll now go our separate ways," the Dutch team confirmed on social media.
WielerFlits reports that Visma was not the only team to consider offering Jakobsen a fresh start. EF Education-EasyPost and Alpecin-Premier Tech are also understood to have shown serious interest, but Visma now appears to be his most likely destination.
Jakobsen’s spell at Picnic PostNL never delivered the reset both rider and team had hoped for. Since joining in 2024, he has won just once, on the opening stage of the Tour of Türkiye in April that year. His results have since continued to slide, despite surgery on both iliac arteries that was intended to address the physical problems holding him back.
Tom Dumoulin was blunt about his form earlier this season after Jakobsen missed the time limit at the Boucles de la Mayenne. Speaking on the NOS Cycling Podcast, the former Giro winner said Jakobsen was “not at the level required of a professional rider” at that moment, while adding that he still hoped the sprinter could find a way back.
Visma’s interest is not entirely out of the blue. According to WielerFlits, Jakobsen lives close to the team’s Head of Performance, Mathieu Heijboer, and the pair have regularly crossed paths on training rides over the years.
There is also an unavoidable historical twist. Jakobsen’s career was changed by the devastating crash at the 2020 Tour of Poland, which involved Dylan Groenewegen, then riding for Jumbo Visma.
Six years later, the same organisation could offer Jakobsen the platform for another comeback.
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