Team Visma–Lease a Bike entered 2024 as the undisputed kings of the male peloton. Their riders had won every Grand Tour in 2023, their star rider Jonas Vingegaard looked was aiming to win his third straight Tour de France, amongst their 72 race victories.

Instead, the gods of cycling had different plans. The team suffered misfortune with star riders Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard amongst the team's riders who suffered serious, season altering crashes. That was before factoring in a resurgent Team UAE Emirates led by Tadej Pogacar - who enjoyed one of the greatest seasons ever in pro cycling.

Following the departure of team boss Merijn Zeeman the leadership of the men's team will fall largely on the shoulders of Grischa Niermann. He joins Bobby and Jens and shares his reflections on a challenging year, and why he thinks the team is set to return to the top of the World Tour standings in 2025.

The Odd Tandem is a Shocked Giraffe production and is produced by Mark Payne. The podcast theme is written and performed by Taylor Phinney.

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