Less than two weeks after Picnic-PostNL announced that Fabio Jakobsen would be leaving the team with immediate effect, Visma-Lease a Bike have confirmed the Dutch sprinter's signing on a deal through 2027.
Jakobsen, 29, has 46 pro wins to his name, including a Tour de France stage, five stages of the Vuelta a España, two editions of Scheldeprijs, and the 2022 European road title. However, he's struggled with health issues in recent seasons, including double iliac artery surgery in early 2025.
Jakobsen's most recent victory came in the opening stage of the Tour of Turkey two years ago, and both he and Visma will hope he'll get back to winning ways in his new surroundings.
"I've raced against the team for several years now, and seeing everything they've achieved throughout the years and how consistently they perform at the highest level, It's a dream come true to wear these colours," Jakobsen said.
"My goal is to get back to the level where I can compete at the highest level again and sprint for victories. As a sprinter, you never win on your own, so being part of a strong team is essential. I believe this is one of the best performance environments in the world", he says.
"I believe we can learn from each other and continue to improve together. There's a lot of work ahead, but I'm confident this is the right environment to make progress."
This season, Jakobsen has toiled away on the lacklustre Picnic-PostNL team. The Dutch team have just a single win to their name at the Tour of Turkey, where Casper van Uden – switching to Alpecin-Premier Tech next year – sprinted to victory.
Picnic currently lie 29th in the UCI world rankings, last of all WorldTour teams and below 11 second division ProTeams, and look set to face a relegation battle over the coming seasons.
Jakobsen's Turkey stage win is his sole triumph during two-and-a-half years at the squad, while his top result in 2026 is 16th on a stage of the UAE Tour.
Visma-Lease a Bike head of performance explained that the team were "looking for a specialist for the flat sprints" and believe they've found one in Jakobsen. He hasn't raced since the Dutch National Championships in June, and Visma noted that the upcoming months will be focused on 'a gradual return to competition… centred on rebuilding his condition.'
"We had been looking for a specialist for the pure flat sprints. The more we looked into Fabio's situation, the more convinced we became that there is still a great deal of untapped potential," Heijboer said.
"We believe we can create the right environment to help him unlock it. At the same time, having Fabio join us now allows us to start working with Fabio straight away instead of waiting until next season."
Analysis
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