Cycling Transfers: Axel Zingle is one of the up-and-coming riders of the past two seasons. The Frenchman rarely wins, but always finishes on the podium. Now he is moving to the Dutch team Visma – Lease a Bike. Can they turn him into a winning rider?
Axel Zingle is a rough diamond
Anyone who, despite numerous volunteer services within a season 18x on the podium must have a lot of quality. The Dutch team has also shown this Visma – Lease a Bike recognized. Because although Axel Zingle Although he only managed to win one race in 2024, he is one of the rising stars of the year. Equipped with a three-year contract, he should be able to take the next step in the coming season. And that is not unlikely, because the Visma - Lease a Bike team is known for recognizing and polishing rough diamonds.
Welcome, Axel. We'll prepare a soft landing spot for you. pic.twitter.com/BPyxTKkZoc
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) August 1, 2024
Only switched to the street late
Axel Zingle's career began on the Mountain bike. In 2016 he won as a junior EM bronze for France. He only occasionally rode on the road. It was not until 2020 that he switched to racing bikes, and in 2021 he signed a contract with cofidis, after he surprisingly U23 champion his country. It was not a steep climb because he had to help out in most races - actually up until today. In the opinion of many experts, he was used incorrectly by his French team as a sprint starter, locomotive in the peloton or as a classic water carrier.
Is Axel Zingle a Christophe Laporte?
The Visma – Lease a Bike Axel Zingle will not be able to go beyond the role of assistant at first. But he will have chances to succeed. Because Axel Zingle can certainly compete with his predecessor Christophe Laporte Both Frenchmen showed off their skills in the red and white jersey of Cofidis, but they were unable to take the decisive step to becoming a winner. And Zingle is also very similar to his compatriot Laporte in terms of his type of rider. He can easily overcome hills and in the sprint he can then use his final speed to at least make it onto the podium. Will he now be another noble helper in yellow and black for Classic? Or will Visma – Lease a Bike even succeed in making Axel Zingle a real winning driver to shape?