Right from the start of the Croatian season opener, the pace was high. The riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development kept a low profile until about 18 kilometers from the finish. Darren van Bekkum, Pietro Mattio and Matthew Brennan were able to escape with about ten other riders. At two kilometers from the line, they were joined by another dozen riders. That group made it to the finish line and there Matthew Brennan proved himself the fastest. "It feels really good to win straight away at my first race for Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development," said Brennan. "Performing straight away with a new team and in a new category is not easy, so I'm really happy with my start to the season."

The Umag Trophy was the first race of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development's 2024 season. The race is part of the balanced racing calendar the team offers young talents. The joy after the first win of the season was great in the team, although the main focus is talent development. "Our big goal is to get our riders ready for the WorldTour," explained Robbert de Groot, Head of Development at Team Visma | Lease a Bike. "We try to help them in this process as good as possible, so they can take that step after one, two or three years. We provide tools in areas such as tactics, nutrition, training, lifestyle and mentality."

Later this season, the calendar includes races like Paris-Roubaix U23, the Tour de l’Isard, Giro NextGen and the Tour of Lombardy U23. Some famous names in a calendar fully adapted to the fase each rider is in. In the Umag Trophy, a very young team was at the starting line, including four debutants. “Obviously, the new riders will have a different schedule than the guys who have already signed a contract with the WorldTour team for next season," said De Groot. "Everything is organized according to a rider’s capabilities. Riders like Tijmen Graat and Menno Huising are more advanced and occasionally ride together with the WorldTour team. Last week's O Gran Camino is a good example: Tijmen and Menno were part of the same team as Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard there. That is extremely useful for them and something that makes our team unique."

The customized racing calendar is one of the many strengths Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development has to offer. De Groot: "Our U23 riders are part of the big structure of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. That means they can use the same expertise as the WorldTour riders. For example, in terms of nutrition, tactical training, physical training, altitude training and training camps. We form one team all together."

De Groot is looking forward to the new season with a team consisting of seven new riders compared to 2023:. "Everyone is equally important with us and I sincerely think all riders can show great things. Of course, we should expect more from riders who will step up to the WorldTour next year, but that is evident when you look at the track they have already covered."

Whether or not 2024 will be labelled a success in retrospect will depend on the riders' steps forward. "If we have seen good development, we can name this a successful season. That means success does not depend on whether a rider has achieved one or five victories. Although in that process, it is always nice to be able to put one's hands in the air every once in while, as Matthew was able to do today," de Groot clarified.