Verhaeren only rose to sporting director in 2025 after Merijn Zeeman's exit forced a restructure — now he's out too, with the sport management team undefined going into 2027. Grischa Niermann's June departure blindsided Richard Plugge, who said he was «surprised and sad» to lose a friend after «winning 10 Grand Tours together». Meanwhile Visma stepped back financially in February, leaving the team hunting roughly €20 million a year against rivals running €60–70 million budgets. Results on the road are covering for a back office that keeps losing the people who built them.

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