With few noteworthy races under his belt, Lemmen was announced at the end of 2023 as the newest addition to Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Merijn Zeeman and his colleagues believed in him. They saw potential in the former military man and offered him a one-year contract, which was extended mid-2024.

“Of course, it was exciting to see how things would unfold at the WorldTour level,” Lemmen admits. “Looking back now, after an incredible year, I can say it went far better than I had expected or even dared to dream. I quickly felt very much at home in the team.”

Hardly settled in the team, Lemmen was sent to Australia for his first race in Team Visma | Lease a Bike colors: the Tour Down Under. “It was a very special trip. Right away, I spent three weeks with a new group on the other side of the world. I’d never been to Australia, so it was an amazing adventure to kick things off. I didn’t set any expectations for myself that week. I just wanted to give my best,” recalls the rider from Utrecht.

“That I ended up competing for a good GC result was a huge surprise,” says the 29-year-old. Lemmen achieved two top-10 finishes and ended up fifth in the overall standings. “It was great to prove to myself right away that I belonged at the WorldTour level, especially since I’d only completed one full season as a professional cyclist.”

A few weeks later, Lemmen carried his good form into the UAE Tour. “I knew I could climb and time trial reasonably well, but I didn’t expect to perform at WorldTour level so soon. From the start of the year, I was in good shape, which led to some nice results.”

Lemmen’s rapid progress didn’t go unnoticed by the team’s management. Following Sepp Kuss’s illness, Team Visma | Lease a Bike included Lemmen in their eight-man squad for the Tour de France. “I was sitting on the couch at home when Grischa called to say I was the intended replacement if Sepp didn’t recover in time,” Lemmen remembers. “A week later, I was on the same couch when Grischa called again to confirm I was going to the Tour. That was an incredible moment.”

“I really enjoyed three weeks of racing at the highest level, but I knew I had to stay focused every single day,” says the typically down-to-earth Lemmen. “I did pinch myself at times, realizing how special everything was. But in the end, I had to just ride my bike as hard as I could. The overwhelming support from people around me made me realize how extraordinary the situation was.”

That realization only truly sank in during the fourth stage, climbing the Col du Galibier. “Near the summit, I remembered cycling there with my wife Nienke during our vacation in 2016. Back then, I had never raced before, so no one could have imagined I’d one day ride the Galibier in a race, let alone in the Tour de France—the biggest race in the world.”

When asked about his highlights, Lemmen has to think for a moment but is ultimately decisive. “I have a few, but the standout moment has to be Jonas Vingegaard’s stage win. The day we went all-in for yellow on the Plateau de Beille and the stage where Wout van Aert and I contested the victory round out my top three.”

After a rest period following the Tour, Lemmen had an impressive autumn campaign. He raced the Bretagne Classic, the Canadian races, the Tour de Luxembourg, and the World Championships, before heading to Italy for a late-season trio. At the Coppa Bernocchi, Lemmen was on the verge of capping his debut year at Team Visma | Lease a Bike with a victory, only to be overtaken by a chasing group near the finish.

“That was definitely hard, but I was mostly proud to even be in a position to win a race. It’s tough that I came so close, but I only take positives from it. Who would have thought twelve months ago that things would unfold like this? Certainly not me. With 2025 about to begin, I’m eager to keep showing my best in big races. I’m raising the bar for myself as well. I now have a year of WorldTour experience under my belt, and I hope to compete for victories next year,” concludes Lemmen, full of motivation.