Visma-Ries-a-Bike signed Astana Kazakstan after the expected return of Mike Tunissen and signed England's Dan McRae as a key lead-out man for sprinter Olaf Quaye.

The 32-year-old McRae was Arnaud Demaret's lead-out man at Alcare B&B Hotels, but his contract was not extended as the French team cut costs.

McRae's addition to Vimaris a Bike means that there is still one position left if the Dutch WorldTour team decides on a maximum team size of 30. In 2024, however, the team made do with 28 riders.

“Dan McRae's experience and skills fit our goals perfectly. He is a very experienced lead-out and exactly the kind of rider we were looking for,” said Senior Director Sportif Grischa Niermann. [In particular, he performed some impressive readouts for De Mare at the Tour, and we hope he can do the same with Olaf Kooij on our team next season.

McRae turned pro with Bretagne Seche Environnement in 2015 and has raced for the French team every season since, except for two years with EF in 2018 and 2019.

He has won 10 races and placed numerous times in his career, but has transitioned to a lead-out role in recent years.

With his Classics experience, McRae could also be a part of the Vimalise a Classics group, which includes Wout Van Aert, Christophe Laporte, and American Matteo Jorgenson.

“I look forward to joining the team. Team Vismarreath a Bike has a great track record in developing riders, and even though I am at the end of my development curve, I still think there is room for improvement,” McRae said.

“My ambition is to do the best job possible for the team, especially leading out for Olav.”