Van Aert admits Niermann exit will hit Visma, but insists team will not collapse

Niermann will leave Visma at the end of August to join Lidl-Trek as the Chief Sports Officer, bringing an end to a long spell with the team as both rider and sports director. His exit follows the departures of Merijn Zeeman, who moved to football club AZ Alkmaar, and trainer Tim Heemskerk, who has since linked up with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

For Van Aert, however, Niermann’s move is not simply another change in the organisation chart. The German has been one of the voices behind some of the biggest moments of his career, including his long awaited Paris-Roubaix victory in April.

“When I heard the news, I was obviously surprised,” Van Aert said to Het Nieuwsblad ahead of the Dauphiné.

“When I joined the team in 2019, Grischa was already part of it. We had a very good relationship and we worked together for a long time. I would have liked to keep working with him, so of course it is disappointing news.”

Although Niermann formally remains under contract until the end of August, he won't be part of Visma’s Tour de France squad. Marc Reef will take over as Head of Racing and will lead the team’s sports director group at the Tour de France.

Van Aert knows that the change will be felt.

“Of course it will have an impact,” he said. “Everyone works differently. Marc will fill that role in his own way.”

Visma moved quickly to frame Niermann’s departure as a manageable setback rather than a crisis. Team manager Richard Plugge said earlier this week that the team had deliberately built a broader sporting structure after Zeeman’s exit, with several people sharing responsibility rather than placing too much weight on one individual.

Plugge also stressed that Visma’s internal culture remained the foundation of the team.

“The culture of our team is the most important thing,” Plugge said. “It doesn’t depend on one person.”

Van Aert echoed that view, even if he made no attempt to play down Niermann’s personal importance to him.

“Richard is right about that,” Van Aert said. “The past proves it as well. As a team, we have built an organisation where we try to develop people. I am really not afraid that everything will suddenly collapse.”

Niermann’s exit has drawn extra attention because of the timing. Visma are in the final phase of preparation for the Tour de France, with Jonas Vingegaard aiming to challenge Pogačar again in July. Niermann was a key figure in the team car during Vingegaard’s Tour victories in 2022 and 2023, and his absence will mark a visible change in the team’s race operation.

Plugge has insisted that the transition is already underway, with Niermann working in the background during the handover period. Reef, meanwhile, has already worked closely with the team’s leaders and is now set for a much bigger role in July.

Van Aert is not treating the recent departures as signs of instability. He believes each case has its own explanation, rather than forming part of a wider trend at Visma.

“You have to look at every story in its own context,” he said. “It is different every time. I am really not worried about the future.”

Van Aert now turns his attention to the Dauphiné, now known as the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where he lines up alongside Matteo Jorgenson as Visma begin their final build toward the Tour de France.