Visma set for another senior sport management change

Verhaeren has decided, in consultation with the team, not to extend his contract, which expires at the end of December. He will remain in place through the end of the year to oversee a smooth handover of his responsibilities.

“I have consciously taken the time in recent months to reflect on my role within the team and the direction in which the team is developing,” Verhaeren said in a statement released by the team. “I came to the conclusion that, for its next phase, this team needs someone else to take the next steps forward.”

Verhaeren joined the team's sporting structure after initially working with Jumbo-Visma as an external performance expert. A highly experienced swimming coach, he had worked with Olympic champions including Pieter van den Hoogenband, Inge de Bruijn and Ranomi Kromowidjojo, as well as national programmes in Australia and France.

His role expanded significantly following the departure of longtime sporting director Merijn Zeeman at the end of 2024. Verhaeren was initially considered as a possible successor, but the team instead created a five-person sport management structure consisting of Verhaeren, Grischa Niermann, Mathieu Heijboer, Patrick Broe and Robbert de Groot.

Verhaeren was given responsibility for coaching, development and innovation, with a particular focus on the personal development of riders across the men's and women's teams. His appointment was intended to bring an outside perspective from another high-performance sport into the organisation.

The departure represents another change in the team's senior sporting structure. Zeeman left after 13 years with the organisation to become CEO of Dutch football club AZ Alkmaar, while Niermann, who became Head of Racing in the new structure, left earlier this year to join Lidl-Trek. He was subsequently replaced as Head of Racing by Marc Reef.

Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge praised Verhaeren's contribution while acknowledging that the team is entering a new phase.

“Jacco is a top coach who has also proven within our team that he is exceptionally capable of connecting with both riders and coaches,” Plugge said. “He has made an important contribution to the transition towards and the development of our sport management. Sometimes, the next phase of an organisation requires a different approach.”

The team said that it will use the coming months to determine how its Sport Management Team should be structured in the future.