September 30 marked the end of an era at Visma-Lease a Bike as sportive director and Grand Tour mastermind Merijn Zeeman had his final day with the squad after 12 years, 420 victories and a complete rebuild of the Dutch outfit into one of cycling's super teams.
Both riders and staff have described his departure as a huge loss for the team going forward after he cultivated a culture of success alongside team boss Richard Plugge and head coach Grischa Niermann, with the Dutchman moving on to the football world as general manager of his home club AZ Alkmaar.
