Visma secure Christophe Laporte for years to come with new long term deal

The Frenchman, who joined Visma from Cofidis ahead of the 2022 season, has been rewarded with a new long term deal that underlines the team's continued confidence in him despite a difficult run of illness and injury over the past three seasons.

His importance to the team extends well beyond his own results. Laporte can lead Visma in the Classics, work deep into demanding stage races and take responsibility in the final kilometres of sprint stages. That range has made him one of the most dependable riders in the squad.

It has been particularly visible during this year's Vuelta a España, where Laporte has played a significant role in Matthew Brennan's sprint victories. His positioning and experience in the closing kilometres have helped the young British rider navigate several complicated finales.

“I’m very happy to continue with the team,” Laporte said in a statement by the team. “I’ve already had some great moments with this team, and I’m very grateful for the confidence they have shown in me. I’m therefore very happy that our journey together continues.

“I hope we can achieve and show many more great things together with the team in the coming years.”

Laporte has produced some of the biggest results of his career since joining Visma.

His first season with the team included a Tour de France stage victory in Cahors, while he also helped Jonas Vingegaard on the way to his first overall Tour victory. Later that year, Laporte finished second in the road race at the World Championships.

His standout season came in 2023.

Laporte won Gent-Wevelgem after escaping with teammate Wout van Aert before adding victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen only days later. He also won two stages at the Critérium du Dauphiné and later that season became European road race champion.

The past two seasons have been less straightforward.

Illness and physical problems disrupted much of Laporte's 2024 spring, although he still managed to take bronze in the Olympic road race in Paris and win Paris-Tours later in the year.

His 2025 campaign was affected even more severely after a cytomegalovirus infection kept him out of competition for several months. He eventually returned later in the season and ended the year with overall victory at the Tour of Holland.

Laporte showed this spring that he could again compete near the front of the biggest one day races, finishing fourth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, third at Gent-Wevelgem, seventh at both E3 Saxo Classic and Dwars door Vlaanderen, ninth at the Tour of Flanders and fifth at Paris-Roubaix before another injury setback interrupted his season and forced him to miss the Tour de France for the second consecutive year.

For Visma, however, those difficult periods have not changed his status within the team.

“Christophe has shown over the past years just how valuable he is to our team,” Visma's Head of Racing Marc Reef said.

“He is a rider with the quality to win major classics and other important races, as he has already proven in our colours, but at the same time he is someone who is always willing to put the team first.”

Reef also pointed to Laporte's ability in the final kilometres, an increasingly important part of his role within the team.

“The way he uses his experience and strength in the final kilometres can make a huge difference,” Reef said. “We know we can rely on Christophe in many different situations and his experience is extremely valuable to the group.”

Laporte is the latest rider Visma have secured until the end of 2029, following recent contract extensions for Edoardo Affini and Bart Lemmen, who have also committed their futures to the Dutch team through the same season.