‘Another one, two, three for us’ – Van Baarle eyes Vuelta farewell with Visma

Van Baarle’s spell at Visma | Lease a Bike began on a high after his move from Ineos in 2023. That spring he claimed victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and secured the Dutch national road title, a start that seemed to promise much. Since then, however, his time has been blighted by misfortune, and the transfer has not delivered the impact expected of a former Paris-Roubaix winner. 

For 2026, Van Baarle will leave the beehive of Visma to join the Wolfpack of Soudal Quick-Step, spearheading their reshaped classics squad in the wake of Remco Evenepoel’s reorientation.

Before that next chapter, he will line up for one final Grand Tour with Visma | Lease a Bike. Van Baarle is part of the team’s eight-man squad for the Vuelta, led by Jonas Vingegaard and featuring Sepp Kuss, Ben Tulett, Matteo Jorgenson, Axel Zingle, Wilco Kelderman, and Victor Campenaerts.

Ahead of his final grand tour for the Dutch squad, Van Baarle was asked about his expectations for Madrid. He responded with a grin: “Another one, two, three for us!” A nod to the team’s clean sweep of the Vuelta podium in 2023 with Kuss, Vingegaard and Roglic. Yet he was clear about his own ambitions. “No, I have no ambition to chase a result for myself. That’s not what I’m here for. We’re starting with a strong team and we want to fight for the overall victory, the highest possible.”

On his transfer, Van Baarle said, “I was probably ready for a new challenge. And I’m really looking forward to it. Quick-Step really wants to focus on the classics again. That was the deciding factor. Of course, it’s also a true classics team by nature, and it’s great to be part of it soon.” His goal is to return to the level of 2022, when he finished second at the Tour of Flanders before triumphing at Paris-Roubaix.

Reflecting on his three years at Visma, Van Baarle admitted: “It didn’t turn out the way we’d hoped, no. Due to various circumstances. Due to a lot of injuries that I had to recover from. In that respect, these haven’t been my best three years. But I have to try to put it aside and go into this Vuelta with confidence.”

“It was mentally tough,” he added. “Three injuries like that in a row is just a bit too much. You’re back in the same boat. Everyone around you is only getting better at the start of the season, while you’re falling behind. That was the main difficulty. I think I underestimated the impact of those injuries a bit, fitness-wise.”