Team Picnic PostNL are pleased to reveal that they have extended with four riders in their Development program: Jacob Bush, Christiaan van Rees, Thom van der Werff and Mees Vlot. Bush and Van Rees have extended for 2026 while Van der Werff adds another year on top of that through 2027. Vlot will spend one more year with the Development program before making the step-up to the Men’s program for 2027 and 2028.
Jacob Bush
After a strong time as a junior, Bush made the step up to the Continental and U23 ranks with Team Picnic PostNL’s Development program in 2024. A promising start to the season with eighth place at the Ronde van Limburg was the highlight for Bush, while unfortunately the remainder of his opening year with the team was blighted by injury. Thankfully, luck has been on Bush’s side more this year – although he could have taken a pro win this season back at the start of the year in the Tour of Rwanda, but the final stage was neutralised when he was in the lead solo. Since then, he’s been able to complete a long calendar of racing; including some events gaining valuable experience with the Men’s program such as in Türkiye, while also picking up good results such as third at the Wim Hendriks Trofee and an impressive ninth place in the elite road race at the British national championships.
Bush said: “When the opportunity came to extend my contract with Team Picnic PostNL, it was an easy decision. This team has a clear and proven pathway for Development riders to progress towards the WorldTour, and that’s exactly the environment I want to be in. I really value how we get the chance to race alongside the pros while still having a strong U23 calendar. It’s the best of both worlds. 2024 was a challenging year for me with injury setbacks, but the team supported me incredibly well and helped me build back up without pressure. In 2025, the goal was to create a solid foundation and race consistently throughout the season. Now, going into 2026, I really want to take that next step: to be riding for results and see how far I can go. I believe I bring a positive and honest approach to racing, both in my own performance and in how I work with my teammates. That’s something I take a lot of pride in.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Our collaboration with Jacob has been really positive so far. We’ve already seen great progress, and we believe there’s still more to come. That’s why we’re very happy to continue working with him in our Development program. The main focus will be on his general development, but we also see potential for him to grow further as a GC rider. We’re confident that, step-by-step, he’ll keep moving closer to his full potential.”
Christiaan van Rees
A fresh face to the team in 2025 after joining from Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team, Van Rees has taken on a variety of races with the team in his first year in the Development program; but with a focus on sprints and classics-style races. Starting the year off well with an eighth place at Brussel-Opwijk, he went on to take seventh at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad U23 in early June. Alongside plying his trade in the one-day races with the Development program, Van Rees has also been able to learn from the more experienced riders in the Men’s program as he took part in events such as Brussels Cycling Classic, the Baloise Belgium Tour and the PostNord Tour of Denmark. Recently that culminated with his best result of the 2025 campaign and a fifth place at Ronde van de Achterhoek, where teammate Johan Dorussen took the win, and an end of season trip to Langkawi alongside the Men’s program.
Van Rees expressed: “I wanted to stay with the team because I feel completely at home here, and I’m convinced that we can keep pushing each other forward. We always race as a unit, and living and training together in Sittard creates an environment where everyone lifts one another to a higher level. A great example was the Ronde van de Achterhoek this year. We executed our plan perfectly and came away with the win and multiple top ten results. My big dream is to become a professional cyclist, and I believe this is exactly the place where I can make that happen.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna continued: “Christiaan is clearly on the verge of taking the next step, and that’s why we’re delighted to continue working with him. He’s developing a strong foundation in all areas needed for the WorldTour, and we want to give him the time and guidance to complete that progression. His sprint and potential in the classics are key focus points for the coming seasons. With the work ethic he brings, we’re confident he can make that leap in the near future.”
Thom van der Werff
Van der Werff joined the Development program in 2024 off the back of two good years as a junior rider. His opening campaign at the next level saw Van der Werff find his feet in the early part of the year, before a purple patch of form in June and into July resulted in one win and two podiums at some tricky Dutch national level races, plus eighth in the U23 national championships. His season came to an early end though after a crash in Tour Alsace, but that left him motivated for 2025. Van der Werff began the year in solid form with a fourth place in Tour de Bretagne, but it was once again June that proved to be a great month for him as he finished fourth in the sprint at Paris-Troyes and followed that up with tenth in the elite men’s race at the Dutch national road race championships; a result which saw him secure the U23 title. Since then he took his first pro level top ten with ninth in the sprint on stage one at the Deutschland Tour and has been gaining some valuable experience with the Men’s program at certain races.
Van der Werff said: “After two years with the team, extending my contract was an easy choice. I’ve built a strong connection with the people here, and the trust they showed me, even during the period I was sidelined with injury, and that meant a lot. The family-oriented atmosphere suits me incredibly well, and I’m determined to continue developing within this environment. In the long term, I hope to translate that growth into strong results and ultimately make the step up to the WorldTour.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna explained: “Thom has shown excellent progression, and we’re very pleased with his development over the past seasons. His drive and professionalism stand out every single day. Becoming Dutch champion was an important milestone, but we see even more room to grow, both on the tougher terrain and in the sprint finishes. By extending his contract, we want to help him sharpen those specific areas and continue this upward trajectory. We strongly believe in the rider he is becoming.”
Mees Vlot
Another of the 2024 inductees to the Development program, Vlot has spent a solid two years so far in the U23 category after two promising years as a junior, but he has also battled the expected peaks and troughs of life as a cyclist with injury and illness. In his first year with the Development program Vlot gained some valuable experience riding alongside the Men’s program in races like the Arctic Race of Norway and CRO race, while also producing good performances with tenth overall at Ronde de l’Oise, which included second place on stage three, and fifth in the Dutch U23 time trial championships. 2025 has seen Vlot ride another mixed calendar where he experienced the hectic racing of Belgian classic one-day racing at the pro level; often found helping to set the pace on the front of the bunch and doing good early positioning work, putting his good engine into practice.
Vlot expressed: “Renewing my contract felt like the most natural decision. This team truly feels like family, and I know there’s still a lot of room for me to grow here. What I value most is that Team Picnic PostNL gives you the time to develop and puts the team above everything: we chase our goals together. One of my favourite memories is my second place in the Ronde de l’Oise, a result we earned as a group. In the coming seasons, I hope to take the next steps in my development and work towards being a valuable rider in the WorldTour so we can win races together.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna finalised: “We’re very happy that Mees is staying with us. His commitment, teamwork and motivation are at a consistently high level, and those are qualities we value enormously. We believe there is real long-term potential in him, especially once the next physical steps fall into place. By giving him another development year before moving into our Men’s program, we’re confident we can guide him toward the level required for the WorldTour. He brings the right mindset; now we’ll continue building together.”