The climber and time triallist was widely tipped to stay with Decathlon CMA CGM after two seasons in their U19 ranks before changing course. Visma Lease a Bike confirmed on Tuesday that Van Kerckhove had put his name to a deal running until the end of 2030.

He is set to join Team Visma Lease a Bike Development in 2027, with a WorldTour debut earmarked for the 2028 season, according to Domestique Cycling.

A junior season cut short in Montreal

Van Kerckhove’s 2026 campaign had already stacked up as one of the strongest in Belgian junior cycling. He retained his Giro della Lunigiana title, won the Classique des Alpes Juniors and the Eroica Juniores (the junior edition of Strade Bianche), defended his Belgian junior time trial crown, and finished third overall at the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour.

The season was then ended before the World Championships in Montreal. Escape Collective reported that a crash involving a driver during a training ride left him with fractures to three vertebrae, ruling him out of both Worlds and the European Championships.

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He had taken bronze in the junior time trial at the 2025 World Championships in Kigali, alongside his first Belgian junior TT title.

A second Van Kerckhove in the Visma pipeline

Older brother Matisse Van Kerckhove spent two seasons in Visma’s development programme and is set to step up to the WorldTour squad for 2027, per Wielerflits. Seff will arrive on the development team the same winter, taking the pathway his brother has just finished.

Robbert de Groot, head of development at Visma, framed the signing as a long-term bet.

“We are excited to welcome Seff to our programme. He has shown a strong commitment to his development, and we believe he has the mindset and qualities needed to continue progressing.”

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Van Kerckhove said the choice came down to the project.

“It is a great honour to join one of the biggest teams in cycling. I believe in the team’s sporting project and am convinced that it offers the ideal environment for me to continue developing and get the best out of myself.”

Building behind Vingegaard

The deal fits a pattern of Visma locking down young Grand Tour-shaped talent on long contracts. The Dutch squad’s established GC leader remains two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, and the team has openly been investing in a deeper climbing bench behind him.

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