Jonas Vingegaard Loses Long-Time Trainer to Shock Exit from Visma

Jonas Vingegaard just lost the man who mentored him to grand tour superstardom in what’s a major blow to his wildly ambitious 2026 season.

Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed Monday that Tim Heemskerk, the coach who led Vingegaard to two Tour de France titles and victory at the Vuelta a España, has left the team with immediate effect.

“Over the past period, I have noticed that I was struggling to continue applying my creativity and passion, which are important to me in my work as a coach. That was the moment for me to be honest with myself and with the team,” Heemskerk said Monday in a team note.

“I look back with pride on the growth of the team, myself, and the riders, including of course Jonas. In the coming period, I will take some time for myself and reflect on my future,” Heemskerk said.

Heemskerk joined Visma-Lease a Bike in 2019 and immediately began working with Vingegaard.

He turned the Dane from a fish-factory super-talent to a stage-racing dominator through a collaboration built on a strong interpersonal relationship.

Heemskerk famously played trainer-turned-mentor as he helped Vingegaard navigate the darkest moments of his comeback from his harrowing crash in 2024 at Itzulia Basque Country.

Visma-Lease a Bike will struggle to fill that void for Vingegaard as the 29-year-old builds toward his audacious Giro-Tour double.

And Heemskerk didn’t only work with Vingegaard.

The acclaimed coach also guided Matteo Jorgenson, the now-retired Simon Yates, and many more of Visma’s “Killer Bees.”

Brain drain from the Visma super team: ‘He played a major role in the development of our training philosophy’

Visma’s head of performance Mathieu Heijboer acknowledged the significance of Heemskerk’s role in Visma-Lease a Bike’s rise up the cycling hierarchy and its emergence as a super team.

“We are extremely grateful to Tim for the contribution he has made to the team over the past years,” Heijboer said Monday. “He has played a major role in the development of the training philosophy we apply within the team and in achieving our sporting results.

“Over the past period, I have had many conversations with Tim, and I believe this is the best outcome,” Heijboer said Monday. “I wish him all the best in the next stage of his career.”

The news marks yet another blow for Visma in what’s been a troubled start to the year.

Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, and Sepp Kuss have all been hit by injuries or sickness in the past six weeks, and Yates stunned the world with his shock retirement in January.