Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women signs Femke de Vries
Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women has signed Femke de Vries. The 30-year-old from the Dutch city of Nijmegen joins the WorldTour team. She was riding for the Continental team GT Krush Rebellease.
De Vries could be described as a late bloomer. Unlike many riders, she did not grow up with cycling. "It wasn't until I was 23 that I sat on a road bike for the first time", De Vries says. "That was in 2016. I started cycling as a student. I was studying medicine. My uncle lent me a road bike. I was immediately hooked. The love of racing started there and never left."
"I soon realised that I had more in me than just recreational cycling", the good-humoured rider continues. "I joined a club. Each time, I managed to move up a level. I ended up at Krush. I rode there for two and a half years. All the time, I had a dot on the horizon."
"This is a dream come true"
De Vries is referring to a move to the WorldTour. That wish is now coming true. "Joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike is a dream come true. I can't describe it any other way. This is what I have worked so hard for all this time. The structure here will definitely help me, as will the scientific approach. I immediately felt a great atmosphere in Team Visma | Lease a Bike", says the rider, who currently works as a doctor.
"Sometimes opportunities come along that you just cannot pass up", team manager Rutger Tijssen says. "That's why we signed Femke. We are happy that it worked out in consultation with GT Krush Rebellease and her management. Femke has developed so much as a rider this year that she caught our eye. We have brought her in now, in the middle of the season, to give her the time and space to get used to the WorldTour level and the chance to develop here. She will bring a balance of age and experience to the team. We also see a lot of potential in her for stage races and climbing."
De Vries herself can hardly wait to get started. "It is a big step, so it is exciting, and I am really looking forward to it. I am especially looking forward to working as a close-knit team, pushing each other both on and off the bike. I am good at longer efforts. Though my acceleration could probably be improved. I have mainly process goals because I want to get better every day. This fits very well with the core values of Team Visma | Lease a Bike."
