Visma bids farewell to Grischa Niermann as Lidl-Trek chapter begins

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has paid tribute to Grischa Niermann as the German leaves the Dutch team to begin a new chapter with Lidl Trek.

Niermann completed his final race as Visma’s Head of Racing last weekend, after which the team marked his departure with a farewell video on social media.

“Last weekend was Grischa’s final race as Head of Racing of our team. We are incredibly grateful for everything he has done and for all the great moments we have shared over the years,” Visma wrote. “We wish you all the best in the next chapter of your career.”

For Niermann, the move closes one of the longest relationships between an individual and a team in modern professional cycling.

The 50-year-old first joined the Rabobank organisation as a rider in 1998. After ending his professional racing career, he remained within the structure, initially working with the development team before moving into a role with the WorldTour squad in 2017, when the team was still known as LottoNL Jumbo.

He would go on to become one of the key figures behind the transformation of the Dutch team into one of cycling’s dominant forces.

Known within the organisation for his meticulous race preparation and attention to detail, Niermann played a prominent role in Visma’s sporting success, including the team’s historic 2023 season, when Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss won the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España respectively, making Visma the first team to win all three Grand Tours in a single season.

He was also closely involved in many of Jonas Vingegaard’s biggest successes, including the Dane’s rise from promising talent to Tour de France winner.

Niermann’s departure had already been confirmed earlier this year, with the German explaining that after spending almost his entire professional life within the same organisation, he felt the time had come for a new challenge.

“After having spent my whole life in the organisation that is now known as Team Visma | Lease a Bike, I felt it was time for a new challenge,” Niermann said when the move was announced.

“The move to Lidl-Trek is a special opportunity for me because it allows me to contribute to one of the most ambitious projects in professional cycling, which is also closely connected to my home country.”

At Lidl-Trek, Niermann will take on considerably broader responsibilities.

He joins the team as Chief Sporting Officer and will oversee its sporting operations across racing, performance, logistics, technology and equipment.

His arrival comes during a period of major investment and change at Lidl-Trek. The German supermarket group has increased its involvement in the team and the organisation has made no secret of its ambition to challenge for the position of the world’s leading cycling team.

The appointment of Niermann is another significant step in that process.

For Visma, meanwhile, his departure represents the end of an era. Few people have witnessed as much of the organisation’s evolution from the inside, from the Rabobank years through LottoNL-Jumbo and Jumbo-Visma to the current Visma | Lease a Bike structure.

His responsibilities within the Dutch team will now be taken over by Marc Reef, who succeeds Niermann as Head of Racing from September 1. Reef was already in charge of the team’s sporting operations during this year’s Tour de France.