Fabio Jakobsen is now a rider for Visma: an immediate signing to relaunch his career

Fabio Jakobsen has a new team. The Visma Lease a Bike team has announced the immediate signing of the Dutch sprinter, who joins the yellow and black structure from this moment on with a contract that will last until the end of the 2027 season.

Visma signs Jakobsen looking to recover one of the best sprinters in the peloton

The move comes just a few days after Jakobsen and Picnic PostNL agreed to end their relationship early. Although discussions with Visma had been ongoing for some time and were initially aimed at a signing in 2027, his departure from the previous team has allowed the entire operation to be expedited.

However, the signing does not mean that Jakobsen will return to competition immediately. Visma sees the coming months as a rebuilding phase in which the Dutchman will need to regain his physical condition and adapt to the training, nutrition, and performance methods of one of the most specialized teams in the WorldTour.

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At 29 years old, Jakobsen is facing probably one of the biggest challenges of his career. The Dutchman became one of the most dominant sprinters in the peloton, accumulating stage wins in Grand Tours and being crowned European champion in 2022, but in recent seasons he has been far from that level.

Now he hopes that Visma Lease a Bike can provide the necessary environment to compete in the big sprints again.

"I have competed against the team for several years and, seeing everything they have achieved and the consistency with which they perform at the highest level, it is a dream come true to wear these colors", explains Jakobsen.

His goal is perfectly defined: to win again.

"My goal is to return to the level where I can compete again at the highest level and contest sprint victories. As a sprinter, you never win alone, so being part of a strong team is essential. I believe this is one of the best performance environments in the world", he assures.

Jakobsen also acknowledges that the process will not be immediate.

"I think we can learn from each other and continue to improve together. There is a lot of work ahead, but I trust that this is the right environment to progress."

Visma was specifically looking for a pure sprinter

Jakobsen's arrival also addresses a very specific need within the Visma roster. The team had been looking for a specialist capable of contesting mass sprints in completely flat stages.

Mathieu Heijboer, the team's performance manager, explains that the more they analyzed the situation of the Dutchman, the more convinced they became that there is still room to recover the rider who was among the fastest in the world for years.

"We were looking for a specialist for pure sprints on flat terrain. The more we analyzed Fabio's situation, the more convinced we were that there is still a lot of potential to be unlocked," explains Heijboer.

The team believes that its performance structure can be an important piece in achieving this.

"We believe we can create the right environment to help him unlock that potential. At the same time, having Fabio join now allows us to start working with him immediately instead of waiting until next season."

This last point explains why Visma has decided to expedite a signing that was initially planned for later.

Jakobsen comes from two particularly challenging seasons

The signing represents a new beginning after a difficult period for Jakobsen. His last victory dates back to April 2024, when he won the first stage of the Tour of Turkey, and his time at Picnic PostNL did not manage to bring him back to the level he had previously shown.

On top of the sporting problems, he also faced significant physical complications. In 2025, he underwent surgery on both iliac arteries after a restriction in blood flow was detected, a particularly relevant issue for a rider whose specialty depends on producing huge amounts of power during maximum efforts.

In the coming months, Jakobsen will work on regaining his physical condition while beginning to familiarize himself with Visma's training philosophy, nutritional program, and the team's various performance protocols. There is currently no announced date for his return to competition.