Visma | Lease a Bike strengthen climbing ranks with Donovan signing

Visma | Lease a Bike have confirmed the signing of Mark Donovan from Pinarello-Q36.5 ahead of the 2027 season. 

The 27-year-old Briton has signed a deal with the Dutch team running through 2028, bringing an end to his four-year spell with Pinarello-Q36.5. 

“Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one of the best teams in the world, so when they come and ask you to join the team, there is no need to think twice,” Donovan said in an official statement.

“While being part of a Grand Tour-winning team, I hope to be able to continue to show my consistency and hope to add my part in helping the team to win races.”

During his spell with the Swiss ProTeam, Donovon won the Sibiu Cycling Tour in Romania in 2023, and finished second overall at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali in 2025. 

Additionally, the Briton has twice finished in the top five overall at the Tour of Britain, finishing fourth in 2024 and fifth in 2023. 

Since the arrival of Tom Pidcock last season, Donovan has also played an important role in supporting his compatriot during the 2025 Giro d’Italia, the Spring Classics and while representing Great Britain at the World Championships in Kigali and Montréal.

This season, Donovan finished fifth on stage 13 of the Giro. The Giro was ultimately dominated by Visma and Jonas Vingegaard as the Dane won five stages and completed the Grand Tour set while Sepp Kuss added another stage to the Dutch team's tally.

Next season, Donovan, Visma's first external signing, will bolster the Dutch team's climbing strength, racing alongside the established stars of the team including Vingegaard and Kuss. Fabio Jakobsen has already completed a mid-season transfer. 

Visma have also promoted Mattise Van Kerckhove from the development team after the 20-year-old Belgian has enjoyed a standout under-23 campaign after winning a stage of the Giro d'Italia Next Gen, as well as the GC at the Flèche du Sud, Alpes Isère Tour, and Istrian Spring Tour.

“I think Mark will fit very well into the way we approach racing,” said Visma’s Head of Racing Marc Reef. 

“He has shown in recent seasons that he is a very reliable and versatile rider who can be relied upon in different situations, and he has the ability to perform when the level of the race is high.”

Donovan will also add depth to a strong British core within the team that includes Matthew Brennan, Owain Doull and Ben Tulett.