In the end, it looked quite easy for Mads Pedersen as he sprinted clear to victory on stage four of the 2026 Tour de France in Foix. However, it was anything but easy, on a day where temperatures headed towards 40°C.

The Lidl-Trek rider was multiple bike lengths clear at the end on Tuesday, but it came after a brutal day of racing in the south of France, with the win coming from a gigantic breakaway.

Pedersen's team controlled the escape perfectly, with Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek putting their all in to deliver their Dane to victory. There was also delight for another Nordic rider in the break, as Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility) took enough time to step into the yellow jersey, as the peloton rolled in minutes behind.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is now in fourth overall, 7:53 behind Træen, just ahead of Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), another rider who spent the day in the break.

There were repeated attacks in the final two hours of racing, as those in the day's escape sought to shake things up and prevent Pedersen from being there at the finish, knowing the Dane's speed. However, Lidl-Trek were attentive to all moves, shutting down attempted attacks, particularly from the Movistar pair of Pablo Castrillo and Raul García Pierna, which led Pedersen to the perfect position to power to the win.

Notably, this was the Dane's first win of the season, coming months after he crashed and broke his collarbone and left wrist.

"I would say this was a masterpiece in teamwork," he said post-race on TV. "Maybe not climbing, I was suffering a lot on the last climb, but with Quinn and Vacek there it was a great day. They did incredible on the climbs to pace it well for me, and make sure we didn't lose too much time over the top. They were machines from there to the finish line. What a team effort and what a team win today.

"I had a good talk with Luca our team manager [the outgoing Luca Guercilena] before the race, and he said please win me a stage, please do it early in the race, and he said this would be a good one for me. I would say this stage is for Luca and all the good years we had together. I'm really thankful for everything he has done for me. And also to point out that he gave me a lot of pressure to win today."

"At one point you have to live with it and do what you can today," he added on the weather. "And honestly, to be in a breakaway with a car that's there all the time it makes it easier to cool down and again when we're talking about team efforts, it's not just about those on the bike. We have so many on the road with water and ice as well to cool down. We went through a few bottles today to cool down, but it helps to have a good team."

Asked about his green jersey chances, Pedersen said: "It would have been lovely to beat Girmay and Jasper in the intermediate sprint, but at least I'm picking up 50 points on the finish line here. It's a really good day for us."

After Monday's stage three saw the break's dream's ended by UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Pogačar, there was an enormous fight to get into the day's big move, which went almost from the gun.

34 riders made it in the end, which was pegged at around three minutes for a while, before their advantage ballooned out. There were only five teams who didn't make it in the selection: UAE, Visma-Lease a Bike, Decathlon CMA CGM, XDS Astana, and Tudor Pro Cycling.

The lucky 34 were: Nico Denz and Jan Tratnik (both Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe); Mads Pedersen, Mathias Vacek, Quinn Simmons (all Lidl-Trek), Sean Quinn, Michael Valgren and Georg Steinhauser (all EF Education-EasyPost); Robert Stannard and Vlad Van Mechelen (both Bahrain Victorious); Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany-Ineos); Pascal Eenkhorn and Jasper Stuyven (both Soudal Quick-Step); Ramses Debruyne, Edward Planckaert and Jasper Philipsen (all Alpecin-Premier Tech); Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla); Torsten Træen (Uno-X Mobility); Biniam Girmay and Marco Frigo (both NSN Cycling); Pablo Castrillo, Raul García Pierna and Nelson Oliveira (all Movistar); Georg Zimmerman (Lotto-Intermarché); Ion Izagirre and Alex Kirsch (both Cofidis); Quentin Hermans and Brent Van Moer (both Q36.5 Pinarello); Romain Grégoire and Ewan Costiou (both Groupama-FDJ United); Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies); Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL); and Alex Molenaar and Joel Nicolau (both Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).

After the intermediate sprint, which was won by Girmay, he and Philipsen dropped back. It then took until 83km for the breakaway to properly split up, with Tratnik heading up the road with Vacek, and they were joined later by Kirsch. Their efforts lasted around 40km until they were finally collected by what remained of the break on the Col de Motségur.

Further on the climb, around 11 or 12 riders were left in the group at the front, as Simmons pushed on. Attacks kept coming, particularly from the Movistar duo of Castrillo and García Pierna. They were trying to break the bunch, in order to distance Pedersen.

Over the top, Debruyne, Træen, Frigo and the Movistar duo escaped, but they were closely followed by the Lidl-Trek trio, Quinn, and Vauquelin. The yellow jersey at this point looked like it would be heading the way of USA’s Quinn.

10 riders were together with 24km to go: Pedersen, Simmons, Vacek, Quinn, Vauquelin, Debruyne, Træen, Frigo, Castrillo and García Pierna. At this point, the peloton were over 10 minutes in arrears, while those dropped from the front were at around 48 seconds.

There were late nerves for Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) after a puncture, but the British rider was able to make it back into the peloton.

The attacks started coming again with 9km to go, as García Pierna made a dig, with Simmons in hot pursuit. However, nothing stuck, and Lidl-Trek were able to deliver Pedersen to victory.

Results

Tour de France 2026 stage four: Carcassonne > Foix (181.9km)

1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, in 4:10:45
2. Quinn Simmons (USA) Lidl-Trek
3. Raúl García Pierna (Esp) Movistar
4. Marco Frigo (Ita) NSN Cycling
5. Ramses Debruyne (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos
7. Sean Quinn (USA) EF Education-EasyPost
8. Torstein Træen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Pablo Castrillo (Esp) Movistar
10. Mathias Vaceck (Cze) Lidl-Trek, all at same time

General classification after stage four

1. Torstein Træen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, in 13:02:46
2. Sean Quinn (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, +28s
3. Mathias Vaceck (Cze) Lidl-Trek, +3:50
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in +7:53
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, at same time
6. Ramses Debruyne (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech, +8:06
7. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +8:16
8. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +8:17
9. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, +8:20
10. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +8:41

Juan Ayuso will lead a stacked Lidl-Trek team into battle at the Tour de France this July. The 23-year-old Spaniard will be able to call on some highly capable support in the form of repeat US champion Quinn Simmons and Mathias Skjelmose, who was sixth on GC at the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

They will be ably supported by Mathias Vacek, who won the youth classification at the recent Tour de Suisse, and Derek Gee-West, who finished fifth at the Giro d'Italia in May.

The German-registered team also has firepower for the sprints and the breakaways, with Mads Pedersen making a return to the race after opting to ride the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España last season instead. Toms Skujinš also rides, while Spain's Carlos Verona completes the squad.

The team's Tour tilt will be based around a GC bid by Ayuso. He has previously finished on the podium at the Vuelta a España, in 2022 and 23, but his only other Tour de France participation saw him quit due to illness. His season so far has been one of mixed fortunes, crashing out of Paris-Nice and then quitting Itzulia Basque Country the following month, in part due to the lingering effects of the crash.

Most recently at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – a key Tour de France warm-up – Ayuso demonstrated that he is coming into the Tour on good form with a third-placed GC finish behind winner Isaac Del Toro and runner-up Luke Tuckwell.

While he won't be expected to beat Jonas Vingegaard or his former teammate Tadej Pogačar at the Tour, Ayuso is making no bones about his podium ambition.

"The goal is obviously to be on one step on the podium of Paris," he said in a team statement. "It's still going to be three weeks of hard work, and we will see what we can achieve.

"Everything can change in the Tour on any day. It's important to just not lose time and save energy in the first stages. We have some hard days in the first week but it shouldn't be too crazy until the weekend of the second week. There and throughout the last week the GC will be decided."

As well as supporting Ayuso, Pedersen will lead the team's ambitions when it comes to sprints and rolling stages, as well as keeping one eye on the green points jersey.

He says: "The main goal for the Tour is is winning a stage, and then we're trying to aim for the for the green jersey as well, even though new points system is not in our favor. But nothing is impossible, and we have seen other riders do it before where we didn't expect it so we offer the challenge and believe we can do it."

Find out everything there is to know about the race, which starts on Saturday in Barcelona, right here.

Quinn Simmons charged to victory from the breakaway on stage four of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as the peloton ran out of road on Wednesday.

The Lidl-Trek rider was part of a 10-man group which made it to the finish in Montrond-les-Bains, metres ahead of the on-rushing peloton. After Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) kept the break's hopes alive with a powerful turn, Simmons opened up the sprint, holding off Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies).

Speeds reached 70kph in the closing two kilometres, as the wind pushed the riders along. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the sprint for 11th place from the bunch, as they miscalculated catching the break. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) finished in the peloton to remain in the yellow jersey of race leader.

It was the third-fastest stage in Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes history, races at an average of 46.9kph across its 167.4km. Wednesday was Simmons's first victory of 2026, and his first since stage three of the Tour de Suisse last year, also won from the breakaway, although that was solo. The 25-year-old was one of the stars of last year's Tour de France, in the break on four stages, including to Vire Normandie on stage six, when he finished second. Fans can therefore be reassured that he is back in form ahead of July's big race.

"Behind the Tour, this is the biggest stage race of the year for us, so to come here and to take a stage here... It's been a year since I put my hands in the air, so it's pretty special," Simmons said in his TV interview post-stage.

"The biggest six weeks of our season is right now, so to have a confirmation that the form is there is really nice, and I hope I can keep going like this."

"Two days ago I thought I could win a stage, but we needed to save the legs for the team time trial, so today I was finally unleashed, and I wanted to get the job done," he continued. "I was a bit scared when they only gave us two minutes, I was hoping for a bit more, but in the end, it plays to my favour when the break has to ride hard the whole way. If we have to play games in the final, for sure I would be marked, so like this, you can just go. I've never won a sprint before, so that's kinda good.

"The Tour is the biggest goal for everyone, it's easy to say that, and I was quite sure I was going to be there, but you have to show your form. Yesterday and today I showed that, so I'd say hopefully I'm there in July."

The day was dictated by a large breakaway which formed around 90km to go from the finish, on the category-two climb of the Côte de Chougoirand, after 70km of fierce racing to get into the big move.

There were 12 riders up the road: Simmons, Sam Watson (Netcompany Ineos), Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), Castrillo and Raúl García Pierna (Movistar), Lars Craps (Lotto Intermarché), Jordan Jegat and Vercher (both Total Energies), Jon Castellon (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), and George Bennett and Marco Frigo (both NSN Cycling).

Watson left the move after crashing heavily with 39km to go, with Bennett moving back to the peloton shortly after.

They were only allowed a maximum of around two minutes on the peloton, with teams behind hoping to control the race for a bunch sprint, chief among them Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis.

As the gap tumbled in the final kilometres, the chance of victory swung between the bunch and the riders up the road, with it hovering just under 10 seconds under the flamme rouge. However, due to a powerful final turn from Castrillo and some inspired sprinting, the break won the day.

Results

Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026, stage 4: Le Puy-en-Velay > Montrond-les-Bains (167.4km)

1. Quinn Simmons (USA) Lidl-Trek, in 3:34:08
2. Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies
4. Marco Frigo (Ita) NSN Cycling
5. Raúl García Pierna (Esp) Movistar
6. Andreas Kron (Den) Uno-X Mobility
7. Jorgan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies
8. Lars Craps (Bel) Lotto Intermarché
9. Jan Castellon (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, all at same time
10. Pablo Castrillo (Esp) Movistar, +4s

General Classification after stage 4

1. Alex Beaudin (Fra) EF Education-EasyPost, in 13:35:13
2. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos, +12s
3. Oscar Onley (Gbr) Netcompany-Ineos, at same time
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +15s
5. Juan Ayuso (Spa) Lidl-Trek, +47s
6. Matthias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +47s
7. Jørgen Nordhagen (Nor) Visma-Lease a Bike, +50s
8. Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) Netcompany-Ineos, +57s
9. Léo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +59s
10. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +1:00

Lidl-Trek have confirmed the exit of long-time team manager Luca Guercilena, marking the end of what it calls "an extraordinary 16-year chapter at the helm".

A statement released by the team called the 52-year-old former pro "one of the defining figures behind Lidl-Trek's identity, culture and growth.

"Through his vision, passion and unwavering dedication," it added, "he helped transform the organisation from an ambitious project into one of the most respected teams in professional cycling…"

Guercilena's departure from the team is part of an ongoing staffing reshuffle that began last October, when Lidl acquired a majority stake and the team switched from US to German-registered.

Early appointments included those of former pro cyclist brothers, Andy and Frank Schleck. Andy, who was awarded victory in the 2010 Tour de France after Alberto Contador was stripped of the title for doping offences, took up the post of deputy general manager, and is expected to become CEO following Guercilena's departure. Frank Schleck, a winner of the Tour de Suisse and Amstel Gold Race, was appointed sports director.

Another former pro, Thomas Rohregger, was appointed head of cycling after Lidl took over.

More recently, it was announced that stalwart Visma-Lease a Bike head of racing Grischa Niermann will leave the Dutch team to become part of the Lidl-Trek set-up.

Despite all these appointments, Lidl-Trek are not having a great season. Not helped by Mads Pedersen being out injured for a month – he broke his wrist at the Volta Communitat Valenciana in February – the men's team have only secured around half the wins they had this time last year, and it's a similar story with the women.

Guercilena, whose managerial successes date all the way back to victories with Classics star Fabian Cancellara, said in the statement:

"After 16 unforgettable years, I feel the time is right to hand over leadership and allow the team to enter its next phase with fresh impulses and drive that will spark new hunger to keep pushing the limits. I turn the page knowing that I leave behind a strong organisation made up of great professionals, a group of athletes capable of winning now and in the future, and a strong and determined ownership committed to taking cycling to another level.

"The team has given me incredible emotions thanks to athletes, staff, sponsors, and owners from whom I have always received great support, especially in difficult moments. Lidl-Trek will forever be the team closest to my heart.”

Stalwart Visma-Lease a Bike staffer Grischa Niermann will move to Lidl-Trek, it was revealed this week, reportedly replacing their long-standing general manager, Luca Guercilena.

The Dutch team's head of racing has been with the team in yellow since 2017, and is often a key staffing fixture on the ground at the biggest races. A former pro with Visma-Lease a Bike's previous incarnation Rabobank, 50-year-old German Niermann initially headed up the Rabobank development team after he retired in 2012, before becoming a director on the men's senior squad, then called LottoNL-Jumbo. He was promoted to the head of racing position in late 2024, after the departure of Merijn Zeeman. The German will continue to work for Visma until the end of August.

Niermann's move is part of continued and major shuffle within the Lidl-Trek management structure that began with Lidl's majority acquisition of the team in October last year. Since then the Schleck brothers Andy and Frank have been brought in – Andy as deputy general manager and Frank as a sports director. Now Niermann will be replacing Luca Guercilena – the highly respected general manager who has been with the set-up since 2011.

However, the new-look Lidl-Trek team has not had the best start to its season, with the men's and women's teams only gaining half the victories they had enjoyed this time last year – though those numbers have had a boost this week with wins by Jonathan Milan and Elisa Balsamo in the men's and women's Giri d'Italia.

Visma-Lease a Bike announced on Tuesday morning that Niermann's role will be filled by Marc Reef, a current sports director with the team who helped shepherd Jonas Vingegaard to his recent Giro d'Italia win. They also thanked Niermann for his work and "unwavering commitment" in a statement.

"I think like most of you are now, I was surprised when Grischa called me a couple of weeks ago to share his decision to leave," Visma-Lease a Bike CEO Richard Pugge said on Tuesday.

"I'm very sad that Grischa is now leaving. He just started in his new role, and he was developing more and more. I'm disappointed to see him leave, because as a person and as a great sports director, I have a lot of respect for him, and together we achieved exceptional success, including multiple Grand Tour victories, and most recently our victory in Paris-Roubaix, which was the pinnacle, maybe, of what we tried to achieve.

"I'm very happy to have worked with Grischa, and I wish him all the best. He's close to my heart, and it's a friend, but he wants to move on, and I respect that choice."

Giulio Ciccone has raced the Giro d'Italia nine times. The 31-year-old Abruzzese has won three stages across those years, and has also worn a Grand Tour's leader's jersey before, yellow at the 2019 Tour de France, and been King of the Mountains in 2023. However, the Lidl-Trek rider has never quite managed to wear the pink jersey, to lead his home race.

That all changed on Tuesday's stage four, when, after 150 Giro stages, when, thanks to some canny bonus second poaching, Ciccone finally leads the Grand Tour. Visibly emotional on the podium, and in his TV interview, the Italian has achieved something special to him.

"The feeling is amazing," he said post-stage. "I always dreamed of this jersey since I was a kid. I started this sport dreaming to wear this jersey, and I think today I realised it. I was not expecting this today after many hard moments, especially last year with the crash. This is something really crazy."

Last year, Ciccone was forced out of the race ahead of stage 15, while he had a solid position in the top-10. At the time, he said he had "no words", such was his disappointment on. A year later, and those tears of disappointment have turned to tears of joy.

It was decided on bonus seconds: the man from Chieti took two seconds at the Red Bull KM, behind Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Then, when it came down to a reduced bunch sprint, he was there again, finishing third, ahead of other riders aiming to poach pink, only behind Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Orluis Aular (Movistar). That was the decisive four bonus seconds. He now leads by just four seconds from Christen.

Ciccone explained: "This morning when we did a meeting we had a plan, and our plan was 50:50, it was one of those stages where you didn't know if it would be a sprint or a reduced bunch like it was. My plan was to just take this jersey, take the seconds in the bonus sprint and in the finish. I finished third twice, enough to wear the jersey."

As for what is next, the race reaches his home region of Abruzzo on stage seven, on Friday, with the first proper GC day to Blockhaus. The dream would be to wear pink there, to perhaps even hold it.

"I think it will be super nice, but we still have to do the stage tomorrow and hard moments before we arrive there," Ciccone said. "It's a big dream, and why not? I feel good, we have a good team. We want to defend, and we want to go really far."

The dream might not be over just yet.

Lidl-Trek have become the latest men's WorldTour team to launch their own junior squad.

Lidl-Trek Junior Racing has formed out of a partnership between the WorldTeam and a German regional team, and will provide a talent pathway for 16- to 18-year-olds.

WorldTour teams such as Soudal Quick-Step, Decathlon CMA CGM and Bahrain Victorious all currently have their own in-house under-19 teams. Other squads, like Ineos Grenadiers, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, have partnerships with junior teams, to whom they provide equipment and support.

The roster of Lidl-Trek Junior Racing counts 13 riders, 10 of which are German. British time trial ace Leon Atkins, who signed a contract aged 16 last year to join Lidl-Trek in 2027, is also part of the squad.

The team will make its racing debut at the French two-day Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 on 28 March.

Commenting on the launch, Josu Larrazabal, Lidl-Trek’s head of coaching, scouting and academy, said in a statement: “Creating Lidl-Trek Junior Racing gives us a level of structure in our scouting process that we haven't had before – one that allows us to detect talent earlier and give young riders a clear, supported pathway toward the development team.

“Because the team is registered as a Club Team it doesn't conflict with races where national federations take part, which means we can build the best possible race programme around each rider.

“It's also a significant step forward in managing the transition from junior to under-23 level. Just as we've seen with the progression of our U23 riders to the WorldTour, knowing athletes from race situations, from training day-to-day, from how they handle their lives outside of cycling – that knowledge is invaluable.

“This programme improves our ability to find and develop the very best junior talent, and I'm genuinely excited about what that means for the future of this team.”

Since 2024, Lidl-Trek have operated an under-23 team named Lidl-Trek Future Racing, which has 15 riders in 2026, including Britons Harry Hudson and Seb Grindley.

The new junior team bolsters the team below this level. The 13-rider roster is as follows:

Michael Hetteger (Austria)
Leon Atkins (United Kingdom)
Julien Breugnot (France)
Luan Elsäßer (Germany)
Louis Joos (Germany)
Timo Burger (Germany)
Josh Tietjen (Germany)
Sean Arnold (Germany)
Noah Kunz (Germany)
Baltasar Waldmüller (Germany)
Moritz Schwarzer (Germany)
Mathis Müller (Germany)
Timo Zabel (Germany)

Following a number of frustrating years due to injury, illness and repeated setbacks, Tao Geoghegan Hart began his 2026 season hoping that he has finally turned the corner on the bad luck that has hindered him since he signed with Lidl-Trek.

The Londoner agreed to depart Ineos Grenadiers to join Lidl-Trek in the spring of 2023, but just weeks later he fractured his left hip and femur at the Giro d’Italia.

At the time he was third on GC and many people’s favourite to win the race for the second time, after his success at the 2020 edition

Since then Geoghegan Hart managed to race throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but he struggled for both form and consistency, with illnesses and injuries holding him back from reaching his previous heights.

But the 30-year-old, who finished the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 19th place, before racing the first two stages of the Tour de la Provence, is finally optimistic of enjoying a more fruitful racing campaign.

“It’s the first normal winter I’ve had since I’ve been on the team,” he told CW last month. “I was really good until early January and then I got a bit sick which was a shame, but I feel alright.

“I finished racing well in China [in October], and then everything was easy restarting without surgery and rehab. It’s been nice and you can also bounce back quicker from setbacks.

“I was sick before this race [Valenciana], but I had a base to rely on, whereas when you don’t have that base those small setbacks push you further away from where you want to be.”

Asked if he’s feeling like the older version of himself, Geoghegan Hart said: “Physically and with fresh numbers, I’ve had no problems for a few years now, but that’s different to translating it to a race.

“I’ve not had one day on a bike where I really had magic legs or was feeling great for a few years now, but in the end you just have to keep working away.

“It’s easy to expect more from a period like this [winter and spring racing] than is realistic, but I had a good winter, am happy where I am at, and looking forward to getting stuck into a couple of more races.”

When Lidl-Trek signed Geoghegan Hart from Ineos Grenadiers, they did so with the intention of making the Briton their main GC leader. But events have panned out differently: Geoghegan Hart has struggled for form, and new signing Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose have stepped up as the protected Grand Tour leaders.

Geoghegan Hart is on the longlist for both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, but he has work to do before he gets selected for either. “The more important thing is to feel really good, and have good form and condition,” he said.

“The best place for me in cycling when I’m healthy and good is the last seven to 10 days in a Grand Tour. Without doubt. But if you’re not 100% you’re never going to get there feeling good.

“I don’t really think too much about those next goals or steps, because there is a lot of stuff you need to do before then. Getting stuck in and getting good racing in my legs is more of a focus for me and we’ll see how my place in the sport develops in the next six months.”

2026 is also a contract year for Geoghegan Hart. Perform well in the first half of the season and he’ll have a greater number of offers on the table.

“I know I have a lot of experience, I’ve been a part of a lot of super nice victories, but also part of groups and collectives, and building something more than just values that you see on a computer. Those are things I really value,” he said.

“Of course I still really want to try and be on my best level and do results, but I’m also focused on all parts of the sport, and part of that is using your experience.

“We use the word ‘leader’ in a weird way in cycling, I’d say, because a guy with good legs is not necessarily a leader. They are two different things.

“I really enjoy being at races, I’ve super enjoyed this winter – the training, the process, it still brings me a lot of joy – so we’ll see what happens.”

The 2026 season is well underway, with two Women's WorldTour races already completed, the Tour Down Under and the UAE Tour.

As the racing switches to Europe, it's time to look at the teams, the key riders, and the races to watch across an engrossing season. Everything is building up to a fifth Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in August, but there is so much more before then.

Here is our team-by-team guide to the Women's WorldTour, and the moments of the season to anticipate.

This feature originally appeared in Cycling Weekly magazine on 5 February 2026. Subscribe now and never miss an issue.

Teams

AG Insurance-Soudal
Belgium
2025 WorldTour wins: 5
Team leaders: Kim Le Court and Sarah Gigante
Team boss: Jurgen Foré
Raison d’être: Providing a solid platform for Le Court and Gigante to fly from

This was a winter of continuity for AG Insurance-Soudal, with two riders leaving and only one, Letizia Borghesi, joining. It means 2026 looks very similar to 2025, but with the hindsight of what happened last season, we can expect them to deliver more regularly.

Kim Le Court was far from an unknown, having won a stage of the Giro d’Italia Women in 2024, but last year was her breakout, with wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Britain Women and, the biggest, the Tour de France Femmes. Her teammate Sarah Gigante finished on the podium at the Giro and sixth at the Tour.

This pair will continue to lead the team, alongside Urška Žigart and Justine Ghekiere, both of whom have big results in them.

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
Germany
2025 WorldTour wins: 2
Team leader: Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney
Team boss: Ronny Lauke
Raison d’etre: Challenge again for the top step of the Tour de France Femmes

It was always going to be a big ask for Kasia Niewiadoma to defend her Tour de France Femmes title in 2025, especially with the return of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot at Visma-Lease a Bike and renewed hunger of Demi Vollering at FDJ-SUEZ, so to hold on to the final podium place in the end felt like a job well done. Never one to settle, the Polish rider and her team will be hoping to win back the yellow jersey this summer, but also pick up a few more victories along the way.

Although Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto won 15 times last season – their highest tally since 2019, and a marked improvement from six in 2024 – only two of those victories came on the WorldTour: one thanks to Chloé Dygert at the Tour Down Under, and the other signed by Zoe Bäckstedt at the Simac Ladies Tour.

The team will no doubt call on the two time trial sensations again in 2026. Already, Dygert has come out with fighting talk. “I’m sick of losing,” she said ahead of January’s Tour Down Under, “so this year, I’m really focusing on making sure it doesn’t happen much.” Unfortunately for the American, she left Australia with 12 stitches in her leg, and is now eyeing a period of recovery before the Classics.

There have been no new signings at Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto over the winter, and only two outgoings: Tour stage winner Ricarda Bauernfiend has found a new home at Lidl-Trek, while former British champion Alice Towers has moved to EF Education-Oatly. The effervescent Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and budding climber Neve Bradbury remain among the most exciting riders in the team. Italian sprinter Chiara Consonni will be there for the flatter days.

EF Education-Oatly
USA
2025 WorldTour wins: 2
Team leader: Noemi Rüegg and Cédrine Kerbaol
Team boss: Esra Tromp
Raison d’être: Keeping the good vibes going at a young team full of talent

New to the Women’s WorldTour, EF Education-Oatly had the perfect start to their season, by winning the Tour Down Under for the second year in a row through Noemi Rüegg.

However, those were the team’s last WorldTour victories in 2025, so it is a low bar to clear for this season. In Rüegg and Cédrine Kerbaol they have two riders who were often at the front of races last year. The team stand out in pink, and also because they have the rainbow jersey, through Magdeleine Vallieres.

Kristen Faulkner, Olympic champion, will want more than her one win last year, while there has been an injection of youth to keep the American squad ticking over. No more Alison Jackson.

FDJ United-Suez
France
2025 WorldTour wins: 11
Team leader: Demi Vollering
Team boss: Stephen Delcourt
Raison d’être: To win the Tour de France Femmes and remain the world's top-ranked team

When the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was first announced, team manager Stephen Delcourt dreamed of winning it, building the team with that ambition in the front of his mind. Only six years ago the team was one of the also-ran squads, but since Évita Muzic won the closing stage of the 2020 Giro Rosa, their first WorldTour win, they’ve been on the rise. Last season they brought in defending Tour champion Demi Vollering hoping the yellow jersey ambition might be realised but, while she came close, second place was all the team could manage.

FDJ dominated the first half of last season. Vollering quickly repaid Delcourt's faith, blossoming into a fine leader, starting the year with victory in the four-day Comunitat Velenciana, then winning Strade Bianche, the Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Women and the Volta Catalunya. They were far from a one-woman band; fellow new recruit Elise Chabbey and Ally Wollaston contributed multiple victories, helping the French team to top spot in the UCI rankings.

That said, they have fewer riders this year, but have recruited well, with German champion Frazinska Koch the pick of the new additions. A hugely versatile Classics rider and domestique, she will contribute widely, while Eva van Agt is a proven helper and Sofia Bertizzolo has been a target for the team for years now. It will be interesting to see how Scotswoman Lauren Dickson fares in only her third year in the sport. The signs are promising: she finished 17th on GC at the recent Tour Down Under, helping Wollaston to two stage wins and brilliant team performance.

Fenix-Premier Tech
Belgium
2025 WorldTour wins: 1
Team leader: Puck Pieterse
Team boss: Philip Roodhooft
Raison d'être: Big Classics victories

Fenix-Premier Tech are among the minority of Women's WorldTour teams to have more riders this year than last, starting 2026 with 19 of the permitted 22 riders. An interesting mix of cyclo-cross and Classics riders, they have never been prolific winners. Last season they took only five, though three of those were national championships.

When they do win, they win big, with stages in the Tour de France Femmes on the team palmarès. The hugely talented and versatile Puck Pieterse is always among the action, finishing in the top 10 in every one of last year's spring Classics and winning La Flèche Wallonne. Charlotte Kool joined the squad mid-season last year and should she regain her mojo will provide genuine winning potential in the sprints.

Lidl-Trek
Germany
2025 WorldTour wins: 5
Team leader: Elisa Balsamo and Niamh Fisher-Black
Team boss: Luca Guercilena
Raison d’être: Getting the big signings to deliver

There’s a lot of talent stockpiled at Lidl-Trek, and getting it to fire is the main goal of the team for 2026. Ellen van Dijk and Lizzie Deignan retiring could have unbalanced another team, but this one was prepared for this eventuality already, making the big changes ahead of 2025. As it is, the German squad’s signings this winter have largely been dealing with domestique reorganisation, and providing some experience to a developing roster.

Last season saw success through the year, although perhaps not quite at the level that was expected, with fewer WorldTour wins than 2024. However, there were stage victories at the Vuelta España Femenina and the Giro d’Italia Women, with Anna Henderson’s result in the latter perhaps spurring her on to more consistent success, and Elisa Balsamo won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.

Niamh Fisher-Black and Riejanne Markus, both signed as general classification options, performed impressively at stage races, with Fisher-Black fifth at the Tour de France Femmes and sixth at the Vuelta. This year, they will aim to cement their places in the top five at WorldTour stage events, especially the Grand Tours. Fisher-Black has a lot of promise, and is still only 25, so one feels that there is a breakout performance still to come.

In the Classics, Balsamo has the abilities to overcome almost anyone, therefore just needs the race to fall in her favour, while she will be ably backed up by Clara Copponi, Emma Norsgaard, Shirin van Anrooij and Henderson, which has the makings of a pretty good collection of leaders for the chaos of one-day racing. The team still has four 20-year-olds, too, including Isabella Holmgren, who finished eight at last year’s Giro, so there is a lot of hope for the future.

Movistar
Spain
2025 WorldTour wins: 10
Team leader: Marlen Reusser
Team boss: Sebastián Unzué
Raison d’etre: Win regularly and develop young talent

Only four teams won more races than Movistar in 2025 – SD Worx-Protime, UAE Team ADQ, FDJ-SUEZ and Visma-Lease a Bike – putting the Spanish squad just outside of the realm of the super-teams. Of Movistar’s 10 victories at WorldTour level, seven came courtesy of the world time trial champion Marlen Reusser. And that doesn’t account for the Swiss rider’s status as one of the peloton’s best GC contenders; she finished runner-up at both the Vuelta Femenina and the Giro last year.

Movistar will also look to British prodigy Cat Ferguson for wins in 2026, one of a handful of talented teenagers in the squad. The youngest is Spaniard Paula Ostiz, the junior world and European road champion, who turned pro this year.

Picnic PostNL
Netherlands
2025 WorldTour wins: 1
Team leader: Pfeiffer Georgi
Team boss: Iwan Spekenbrink
Raison d’etre: A team in transition, with a host of young riders on board

Nine riders left Picnic PostNL over the winter, and eight came in, underlining how in transition this team is. Some of those who left will be missed badly: Charlotte Kool, Francesca Barale, Franzi Koch, Megan Jastrab and Nienke Vinke. It leaves a young, callow squad, which will hope to outperform low expectations.

They hit the ground running at the Tour Down Under, with two podiums and 12th place overall for Josie Nelson, but the Classics will be the place where the squad can really show their mettle. Pfeiffer Georgi had a quiet 2025, as she worked her way back from the concussion she suffered at the Tour de France Femmes a couple of years ago, and will be looking to show that she is still a contender.

SD Worx-Protime
Netherlands
2025 WorldTour wins: 27
Team leaders: Lotte Kopecky, Anna van der Breggen and Lorena Wiebes
Team boss: Erwin Janssen
Raison d’être: Retaking their number one ranking after a slight dip

This year represents a new challenge for the previously all-conquering SD Worx-Protime. Instead of coming into the season as the number one team, the one everyone wanted to beat, they are now number two, chasing FDJ United-SUEZ, and their former charge Vollering.

That’s not to say 2025 was a fallow year for the Dutch squad, with 48 wins across the year, including 25 wins for Lorena Wiebes, who appears unbeatable in sprints. Wiebes won through the year, from the UAE Tour onwards, taking two stage wins at both the Giro d’Italia Women and the Tour de France Femmes. Meanwhile, Lotte Kopecky won the Tour of Flanders, again, and Anna van der Breggen and Mischa Bredewold showed themselves in flashes.

However, Kopecky did have an off-year, due to knee and lower-back issues, and her tilt at Tour GC failed to materialise. Also, in the absence of Vollering, they only won one general classification title. This might be a continued trend, with a group of developing riders not quite there yet, although Van der Breggen did finish third at last year’s Vuelta España Femenina.

Expect Wiebes to keep winning, wherever she races, and Kopecky to go all in for the Classics, from Omloop Nieuwsblad onwards. Ultimately, SD Worx want to be the team that everyone watches in the peloton again, and be back to the space where they can bend races to their will. They do not have the same number of dominant riders as before, but they do have the right pieces for the right races. New signing Nienke Vinke could be the future for GC challenges, and Bredewold can continue to do her very good Vollering impression in hillier one-day races.

UAE Team ADQ
UAE
2025 WorldTour wins: 7
Team leader: Elisa Longo Borghini
Team boss: Yana Seel
Raison d'être: Defence of Elisa Longo Borghini's Giro title and a Tour de France Femmes podium finish

Building year on year, UAE Team ADQ are now among the most dangerous teams in the peloton. The addition of Elisa Longo Borghini last year has proved pivotal. Though they've only existed in their current form since 2022, the team dates all the way back to Nicole Cooke's Mcipollini-Giordana team of 2011. Last year's crop of 28 wins represented their most successful season, the winning shared among a remarkable 13 of their 19-woman roster.

2025 Tour de France Femmes revelation Maeva Squiban, along with Karlijn Swinkels, have already opened the team's account, winning in Mallorca last week. While they're one of the few teams to have increased the size of their roster, we can expect Longo Borghini to be most influential again.

Visma-Lease a Bike
Netherlands
2025 WorldTour wins: 7
Team leader: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos
Team boss: Rutger Tijssen
Raison d'être: Another Tour de France title for Pauline Ferrand Prévot and big Classics wins for Marianne Vos

Even without Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's Tour de France Femmes victory, Visma-Lease a Bike had a great 2025, winning more races than in any of their four previous seasons while relying less on their big names. Martina Fidanza stepped up with three wins, and Ninke Veenhoven bagged two. The future lies with two young riders: the hugely talented Brit Imogen Wolff, who began winning before her 19th birthday, and Marion Bunel, who is already among the best climbers in the bunch aged only 21.

Ferrand-Prévot has a freakish ability to successfully target races, so another Tour de France win is possible. Meanwhile, Marianne Vos always bags at least one big win a year. Add in Canadian all-rounder Sarah Van Dam and Dutch rouleur Daniek Hengeveld and Visma have a recipe for success.

Uno-X Mobility, Liv AlUla Jayco and Human Powered Health

Uno-X Mobility won just one WorldTour race last year, a stage of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas through Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, who won four more races for the team. This year, they are likely to continue their aggressive underdog strategy, which has brought them success in the past. In Katrine Aalerud, they have an experienced GC leader.

2025 ended well for Liv AlUla Jayco, who won two stages at the Tour of Chongming Island; they also won stage two of the Tour de France Femmes through Mavi García. This year, they will hope that they can return to the front of races more often, through Letizia Paternoster and Ruby Roseman-Gannon, among others.

Human Powered Health will aim to be more than just the 14th WorldTour team, with a ProTour or WorldTour victory surely among their plans. In Thalita de Jong and Kathrin Schweinberger, they have experienced riders who could surprise.

Races

Spring Classics

From Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (28 Feb) until Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (26 April), the women's Spring Classics season follows an almost identical rhythm to that of the men's, with female 'siblings' having been introduced for nearly all of the original major men's races. The inauguration of Milan-San Remo Donne (21 March) last season – won by Lorena Wiebes – leaves E3 Saxo Classic as the only men's WorldTour race with no equivalent. Omloop and Opening Weekend is followed in March by Italy's Strade Bianche, San Remo, and a pair of new names: In Flanders Fields. From Middelkerke to Wevelgem (formerly the more succinct Gent-Wevelgem) and the Tour of Bruges (formerly Brugge-De Panne).

There is also the Trofeo Alfredo Binda (15 March), one of the oldest Classics on the women's calendar with more than 50 years of history.

As with the men, the women's Classics tends to centre around the Tour of Flanders (5 April) and Paris-Roubaix (12 April), but some of the stronger climbers will target the hilly Ardennes races – Amstel Gold (19 April), Flèche Wallonne (22 April) and Liège.

Vuelta España Femenina by carrefour.es – 3-10 May

With the women's season rejigged to free the Giro d'Italia Women from its annual clash with the men's Tour de France, there is now a decent gap between the three Grand Tours, opening up the possibility of seeing all of the world's best riders in all three. The season is packed, though, especially in May when the Vuelta is the first of three Spanish WorldTour stage races, and with teams having such small rosters it's more likely teams will need to be very choosy when selecting their squads.

In its short history as a stage race, the Vuelta Femenina has always attracted the pick of the stage racing bunch, and that is unlikely to change this season. Not many riders have confirmed their programmes beyond the Classics and the Tour de France Femmes so far, but last year's runner-up Marlen Reusser is down to ride, and don't be surprised defending champion Demi Vollering here either.

Tour de France Femmes – 1-9 August

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift begins slowly with two flattish stages, before the temperature gradually rises. A series of hilly stages are punctuated by an individual time trial, before the pièce de resistance, Mont Ventoux. After Planche des Belles Filles, the Tourmalet, Alpe d’Huez and the Madeleine comes the Giant of Provence. The bald mountain will surely hint at the direction of the fifth yellow jersey, but there is still a hectic stage around Nice to come, like a turbo-charged final day of Paris-Nice. Four ascents of the Col d’Eze will sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Demi Vollering will be itching to take back the crown she lost in 2024, and prove that she really is the best rider in the world; FDJ United-SUEZ will also demand better from their star signing. However, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has proved that she will go to huge lengths to win, and will have the French public on her side. It should be a clash for the ages. From Switzerland to the Mediterranean, the action will not stop.

A broken collarbone, and perhaps more worryingly, a broken wrist: exactly how competitive can Mads Pedersen expect to be when the first big races on his own personal calendar roll around in six weeks' time?

The Dane is slated to ride Milan-San Remo on March 21, before going on to race at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. But after crashing hard in yesterday's Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana his whole Spring campaign has been put in jeopardy. Adding insult to injury, it was his first race of the season – and he didn't even get to finish.

His Lidl-Trek team confirmed the details of his injuries last night and said he would be having surgery today (Thursday 5 Feb), adding:

"Lidl-Trek's first priority is to ensure Mads receives the best possible care, and the primary focus is on achieving the most successful recovery possible to minimize the impact on his seasonal goals. We will communicate his return to racing in due course, and if necessary, we will share updates."

The standard recovery time for a collarbone break is around six weeks, but wrist fractures can be more complex and require a longer recovery time – especially for a cyclist who is required to grip the handlebars and especially in races such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, with brutal cobblestones that require every ounce of grip strength and control.

The 30-year-old is likely to be riding the trainer again within the week, but he will miss out on the long, hard racing and riding that he would usually expect to put in at this time of year – the rest of the five-day Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, for a start, which continues today with a 17km time trial and with all eyes on Remco Evenepoel.

Pedersen, a three-time Ghent-Wevelgem winner and former world champion, had been in ebullient form at the start of the season, declaring his intention to win his first Monument in the Spring, and saying how he felt that he could beat riders like Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert on the right day.

We are still awaiting an update from Pedersen himself, but his crash will have dealt his plans a potentially devastating blow.

This social media roundup was rekindled in the heights of silly season. Every week Jonas Abrahamsen supplied us with goofy Instagram laughs, and our social media feeds were awash with Christmas jumper-ed teams. Anyone remember Visma-Lease a Bike's beehive knits?

As the new year settles in, January team camps are finishing, and riders are gearing up towards a spring and summer of racing - if they haven't already headed to Australia for the Tour Down Under.

While more serious times are on the horizon, fear not. The internet is still turning up some gold. Anyone fancy an underwater 5k?

1. The people’s princes: Yves Lampaert and Soudal Quick-Step teammates helped one stranded driver get back onto the road. But who is this mysterious helmet-wearing driver?

2. WTF is zone two? For time trial world Champion Marlen Reusser, it looks like its a sit down and a frothy coffee.

3. Robyn Clay and her Picnic Post-NL teammates hold Eleanora Ciabocco on a Calpe shoreline in an idyllic end to a January camp full of cats, coastlines and strawberry smoothies. “A couple more weeks of prep before we go racing,” she writes in her Instagram caption.

4. Lidl-Trek are also calling time on their January camp, but not before they quiz their riders on their favourite Christmas gift (we’re still flogging this horse). Felicity Wilson-Haffenden wins hands down, after taking home the Australian National Individual Time Trial title, and the first win for Lidl Trek in 2026. Meanwhile, Anna Henderson has been gifted an entire new set of kitchen utensils to use on her return to the UK - a peak adulthood pressie.

5. Pass through the Swiss town of Schöfflisdorf and you might catch a glimpse of Swiss Olympian, Noemi Rüegg on a training ride turned grocery run, eggs tucked into her EF Education-Oatly jersey – all to the soundtrack of panting breath and tweeting birds.

6. “It’s somewhere that makes sense to me,” says Alice Towers of the Cape Town roads she rode on with her brother, Lucas, under looming clifftops and unravelling seascapes. This is another of EF Pro Cycling’s ‘Beyond Your Universe’ series, available to watch in full on YouTube.

7. Taco van der Hoorn soundtracked this post with Karma Police by Radiohead – we hope that's not reflective of his mood.

8. Reckon you could cycle underwater? A cyclist’s horror story or a feat of unmatched daring? 12 minutes is impressive regardless.

9. Nothing will shame me out of Christmas day thirds. If you're recovering from Christmas indulgence, we have tips on how to get back into training and a break down on the science of detraining and retraining.

10. Welsh rider, Stevie Williams, opens up about the struggles he’s had after injuring his knee in 2019, followed by another operation six months ago. As the NSN team heads out to the Tour Down Under, Williams is hoping for a brighter 2026. Poor Stevie won't be at the Adelaide Oval this year.

11. Who needs a top-of-the-range bike when milliseconds can be shaved off from an aerodynamic head?

Canada's Derek Gee-West will put all his eggs in the Giro d'Italia basket this season as he aims to hit a first Grand Tour podium with new team Lidl-Trek.

With a programme of stage racing leading up to May, the 28-year-old said he had given zero thought to anything beyond what he said was his favourite Grand Tour.

"Even since I was a kid, it's been my favourite," he said. "Obviously I had a breakout race there in 2023 but it's something that if I did it every year for the rest of my career, I'd be happy with."

Gee-West will race the Volta ao Algarve in February, the Volta a Catalunya in March before the Tour of the Alps in April on his way to the start of the Giro on 8 May.

He had been getting on well with Lidl-Trek's fellow GC newbie Juan Ayuso, he said ("he spent a decent amount of his childhood in America, so he's almost like a fellow native English speaker"), and was not concerned by the team's continued focus on its traditional sprinting successes in the three-week races.

"Honestly, maybe it's the style of rider I am, but I don't feel like I need to have six guys around me to race GC," Gee-West said. "I think I would compliment really well having guys stage hunting, or sprinting, obviously, which will remain a big focus."

Gee-West has spent six months away from the cut-and-thrust of the bunch, having set about terminating his contract with Israel-Premier Tech in August. He had done this, he said later, because of "serious concerns" over safety and a "personal-belief standpoint that weighed heavily on my conscience".

However, speaking to the press on Wednesday he would not be drawn any further on the matter, saying only: "There's a whole bunch of reasons that, to be honest, I just want to leave that the past. That's definitely not something I want to get into."

However, there were no lingering issues from the contract wranglings, overseen by the UCI, which saw him facing, at one point, a claim of £26 million from his old team.

The six months spent in limbo since he last raced at the Canadian national championships in June had been "incredibly tough" he said.

"It was all consuming, but when you arrive at a team camp, you're on a new team. It really leaves you pretty quickly. I'm not going to exaggerate and say it was. It was fine. It was a very, very tough period. But it hasn't lingered. And honestly, I feel kind of like fresh, re-motivated, ready to get back in the peloton."

Gee-West said the training he had done in the interim was far from perfect, but his numbers held up.

"I'm sure the quality wasn't great, because I was my own coach, and I don't know what I'm doing," he joked, "but it's OK. We got to December and the training values are where they were the year before. Everything's all good.

"I think the only thing that we could see going into 2026, is just being out of the peloton for a little bit. But, you know, it's the same if you break a collarbone. So it's not, hopefully not too, too impactful, and you just step back into the new season."

He signed late on for his new team, where he will count Ayuso, Giulio Ciccone, Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen among his team-mates, but said the integration had been seamless.

"Although it was an incredibly late arrival, it seems like a really well organised team," Gee-West said. "The resources here and the expertise is immense. I just couldn't see any downside. It just seemed like the best landing spot," he said of his decision to join.

A latecomer not just to Lidl-Trek but also to pro cycling itself, having first moved into the ProContinental ranks in 2023 aged 25, Gee-West said he was daring to dream, and hoped to emulate some of his Canadian cycling heroes.

"The confidence grows with results, and I've definitely allowed myself to dream a little bit bigger, you know, chase some bigger goals," he said.

"Canadian cycling is very near and dear to me. So I'm chasing some big names there to try and reach the level that you know, some of the Canadian, great riders achieved, like Mike Woods, like Steve Bauer, like Ryder Hesjedal. These are, you know, inspirations for me and kind of set the set the benchmark for where, where I want to be able to bring my career."

It was when Seb Grindley began searching for his sunglasses, cast off his face to the roadside during the crash, that he realised something was wrong. “I couldn’t turn my head at all,” he remembers. “I was moving my whole torso and keeping my neck completely straight. Then I realised I couldn’t actually move my neck.”

The 19-year-old staggered worriedly to the in-race ambulance. “I was like, ‘I’ve got a really weird feeling in my neck’,” he says. “As soon as I mentioned any sort of head/neck injury, they put me straight on a stretcher, and I didn’t move for the next three weeks. It was pretty crazy.”

A silver medallist in the junior road race at the 2024 UCI World Championships, Grindley’s first year with Lidl-Trek’s development squad, Future Racing, was supposed to bring him a step closer to his WorldTour dream. Instead, from the start of summer, he found himself sidelined for six months – two of which he spent in a neck brace – due to a fractured vertebra he suffered in a high-speed crash at the British National Championships.

The pain, he tells Cycling Weekly, was “just uncomfortable – it was like when you go backpacking, and you’ve got a super heavy backpack on, and it strains the neck a bit.”

Half a year has now passed since Grindley left his last race in an ambulance. He is now strain-free, and looking forward to a fresh start this season. The memory of how his last one ended, however, is still vivid in his mind.

The moment came on the descent of a narrow country lane. Grindley, nestled among the top-20 riders in the bunch, was travelling at around 60kph. Suddenly, a manhole cover jutted out of the ground in front of him. “I hit it, it was quite wet at the time, and I just slipped straight off the bars,” he says. “My chest was where my Wahoo is, on my bars, and my hands were just completely off it… I literally just closed my eyes.”

Like a rag doll tossed across a bedroom, the teenager’s body hurtled into a bush at the side of the road – “there were a few thorns in my helmet”. He then bounced back onto the tarmac, where the charging peloton folded on top of him. He remembers one rider landing on his head. “I think that was what caused the injury.”

Grindley’s first instinct was to find his bike and remount. “But I couldn't actually get myself up off the ground,” he says, “which was a bit scary.

“I knew I'd lost some skin, obviously, from the crash. But it wasn't a bone pain. When I've done my collarbone before, I knew it was instantly broken. I just felt strange. I felt like my neck didn’t have that much support, so I couldn’t get myself up.”

A few hours later, as Ineos Grenadiers’ Sam Watson won the race, Grindley was lying in a hospital bed on the outskirts of Aberystwyth.

Naturally, the 19-year-old began to think about his future. The doctors told him the fracture could be “unstable”. If it was, he asked himself, would he still be able to ride his bike? And what about his contract with Lidl-Trek? He had signed for two years at the start of the season. Now, it looked certain he wouldn’t race for months, with a lengthy spell of recovery to follow. Might his career be over before it had even started?

A call from Lidl-Trek's development team boss, Markel Irizar, put his mind at rest. “It was literally that night or the day after the crash,” Grindley recalls, “and he told me the team were going to support me through the recovery process.

“They extended my contract for another year – with a little bit of a pay rise as well, which was amazing – so I really did not have to stress about the comeback. I could just take my time with it and ensure I was fully healthy... I think that really, really took a lot of pressure off my shoulders.”

After a week in hospital, Grindley returned home, only to spend the next two weeks in another hospital bed his family hired for him. He watched the entire Tour de France lying in a neck brace. He then found himself dissociating from cycling – “I was upset with what I was missing, not because I disliked the sport” – and didn’t watch another race.

Come September, though, three months after the crash, and Grindley was venturing back outside on his bike. His training has since been intensive; he’s gone “full-gas” on Wednesday chain gang rides with his friends, and been on two Lidl-Trek training camps, where he has ridden with the WorldTour squad. His numbers, to his delight, are now better than ever.

“We have some tests that we do every year, and there was a noticeable improvement,” Grindley says. “I had higher watts, and I was slightly lower weight because I lost quite a bit of muscle during that time in bed.

“The team are really happy with where I’m at, and I’m also happy. I feel in a really good position to start the season stronger than I even was last year.”

With his contract now secured until the end of 2027, what are Grindley’s hopes for his second year with Lidl-Trek? “The biggest goal, in general, is to keep learning,” he says. “I also want to get a UCI podium or a UCI win, just to kind of be in the mix again.

“Last year, obviously, it was my first at under-23, it’s all about learning, and it got cut short. I still need to have a little bit more time to learn.”

The teenager will make his long-awaited racing return in Calpe, Spain later this month. After that, his focus will be on building form towards Paris-Roubaix Espoirs in the spring; his debut in the under-23 race last year, which finished in a Lidl-Trek 1-2 and a 20th place for Grindley, was his standout moment of the season.

“This year, it could be another race where we’ve got two leaders, and hopefully it will be myself and Héctor Álvarez,” he says, adding determinedly: “We’ve got a title to defend.”

“I’m just excited to get back into it, more than anything. More than scared or nervous. Just excited.”

Derek Gee-West will ride for Lidl-Trek from 2026 onwards, after a protracted exit from his former team, Israel-Premier Tech.

The Canadian national champion's new home was revealed on Tuesday after weeks of speculation; there was no mention of his contract termination in the Lidl-Trek press release.

However, a statement from NSN Cycling, which is what Israel-Premier Tech are now known as, confirmed that an agreement had been reached for the rider to leave.

Gee-West, who finished fourth overall at the Giro d'Italia last year, will ride for Lidl-Trek until at least 2028.

Last year, he revealed that he had given notice of ending his contract with Israel-Premier Tech in August. He was set to ride the Vuelta a España, but was pulled from the team at late notice, with the case is being dealt with by the UCI. Previously, Gee-West has said that he faced paying damages of around €30 million to his former team.

In October, he explained: "I terminated my contract with just cause, as is every person's right when they are unable to continue performing their work under the existing circumstances.

"This decision was not taken lightly - it followed an irreparable relationship with the team principal, as well as serious concerns related to racing for the team, both from a safety and personal-belief standpoint that weighed heavily on my conscience."

At the Vuelta and after, Israel-Premier Tech faced persistent protests over their presence in the race from pro-Palestine activists in Spain; stages were shortened or cancelled, and the team changed jerseys to one without 'Israel' on it. The team were forced to rebrand.

A statement from NSN Cycling on Tuesday read: "NSN Cycling Team has finalised an agreement, approved by the UCI, with Lidl-Trek and Derek Gee-West, which will see Gee-West's existing contract with our team conclude.

"NSN Cycling Team wishes Derek Gee-West the best of luck for the future with his new team."

"It’s pretty special to be joining Lidl-Trek," Gee-West said in the Lidl-Trek press release. "From the outside, you can already see that this is an organisation operating very close to the gold standard in our sport, and that was something that really appealed to me. The ambition, the structure, and the depth of talent across the team are impressive, and it feels like the right environment for the next phase of my career.

"I’m really looking forward to racing with shared ambitions and multiple options within the team. Lidl-Trek have world-class riders across so many areas of the sport, and being part of a group where we can play different cards in stage races and Grand Tours is something new for me. I’m excited to learn from that, to keep developing as a GC rider, and to see what we can achieve together over the coming years."

"Bringing Derek on board is a big boost for us," Luca Guercilena, Lidl-Trek general manager, added. "Over the last three years he has shown an incredibly high level in stage races, and we’re sure we haven’t even seen his limit yet.

"Derek will have the full support of our performance resources to fully realise his potential. As a team, we have big goals across the entire season, and recruiting Derek brings us one step closer to achieving them."

Gee-West is the second rider to end their contract early and move to Lidl-Trek ahead of the 2026 season, after Juan Ayuso left UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The newly German-registered team can now count on Ayuso, Giulio Ciccone, Mattias Skjelmose, Gee-West and more as GC or powerful climbing options.

There’s a hope that it will be third time lucky for the former Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart at Lidl-Trek, as he starts his third season with the WorldTour team.

The Brit has endured two years of misfortune and injury since joining the squad in 2024. In his first year, a fractured rib and a Covid infection ruled him out of the Tour de France, while last season, he was sidelined by a stomach illness in the spring, and a chest infection in the summer.

Writing on Instagram last June, the 30-year-old said it was “proving quite tricky to bring all the pieces of the puzzle together at once” in his career.

Lidl-Trek’s performance manager, Josu Larrazabal, has now said he’s “optimistic” about Geoghegan Hart’s prospects for 2026.

“With 2026, we're entering the final chapter of his project: he had a three-year contract. The first two years went badly for various reasons, but I'm optimistic,” Larrazabal told Italian outlet bici.pro.

“We finally managed to have a good winter. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but so far it's been ideal. He feels it too; he's happy. He's had a smooth run.”

Geoghegan Hart’s highest race placing since joining Lidl-Trek from Ineos Grenadiers in 2024 is third overall at last year’s Tour of Slovenia. His last victory came at the 2023 Tour of the Alps, where he won two stages and the overall.

According to Larrazabal, the 2020 Giro winner will not have a “rigid” race programme this season. He will open his campaign at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, with either Tirreno-Adriatico or the Volta a Catalunya to follow.

From there, the Brit will aim for a possible return to the Giro for the first time since 2023, when he abandoned the race with a fractured hip. He has only raced one Grand Tour – the 2024 Vuelta a España – since then.

“No matter how strong you are, no matter how many victories you've had in the past, when you go through such a long period where things aren't going smoothly, things get tough, really tough,” Larrazabal said. “This time we're taking it one step at a time. And for now, the only certainty is that the winter went well.”

Commenting specifically on the Giro, Lidl-Trek's performance manager said Geoghegan Hart will need to be “in certain conditions” if he is to be on the start line. “He can't just go there for the sake of it. It's a race he's won. To be there, he must first rediscover himself, the confidence and stability he's lacked in recent years,” he added.

“We don't even know if we'll make the Giro, because we have to take several steps first. The priority is health, then consistency.”

This week’s social media round-up has been an education for me. 'Turbo-cross' - I’d never heard of this discipline-bending cycling sub-genre before delving into a few of our news editor, Adam Becket’s selections. It is “the fast-forward version of cyclo-cross, where creators dive into the mud for a wild ride across obstacles custom-built for Turbo,” according to Turbocross.be, and is, rather paradoxically, the brain child of a man called ‘Average Rob’. Sign me up for next year, it sounds absolutely wild.

That features quite heavily in this week's social media round-up, but don't fear, there is more!

1. Cross-country athlete Ronja Eibl has taken Christmas tree collection to new highs in this multi-terrain mission to get her spruce home in time for the big day.

2. Chris Froome is dodging the brisk air of Ol’ Blighty as he enjoys a frothy coffee in the warmer-climbs of his Monaco home. ‘Christmas in Monaco is so underrated.’

3. Is this worse than an OTB onto solid ground? I can’t quite decide. Influencer Stien Edlund goes headfirst into the canal during a wintery turbo-cross race.

4. Twice is a charm - Edlund successfully stays dry on her second attempt at the newly named, ‘Stein corner’, armbands and all.

5. From canal dunkings to rain-washed cobbles, Nuno Silva (AKA Super Bock) has recreated the Tour de France Montmartre climb in Lego Movie style.

6. Turbo-cross takes another victim - fitness influencer Ada Theilken scrapes through the final hurdle.

7. Mountain climbs and fruit buffets - Moritz Mauss gives us a glimpse into the life of a rider on a team camp, hour by hour.

8. Lidl-Trek rider Edward Theuns has more than a season of racing in store for 2026, as he and his partner, ex-podium hostess Lien Crapoen reveal they are expecting their second child.

9. Meet Matteo, London's famous cycling cat.

10. But, to leave things on a chaotic note, here is Jonas Abrahamsen on the indoor trainer in a questionable set up - his basement?

As we hit January, it is more than the time for pro cycling teams to release their new kits for 2026. For some, this is the best part of the year, before the reality of racing gets involved, when we can just imagine how good the jerseys will look on the road.

Rather than writing up each team individually, we thought it would work better if we collated them together, unless someone does something mad. When all the kits are out, we can do our usual arbitrary evaluation of them too, so do look out for that. In this guide, we will cover all the WorldTour teams, and notable other squads, but not all, otherwise it will get a bit overwhelming, apart from particular exceptions.

If you would rather find out which team riders will be appearing for next year, rather than what they will be wearing, you can find that on our comprehensive transfer guide for 2026 too.

Teams have also changed names – Israel-Premier Tech to NSN Cycling, Alpecin-Deceuninck to Alpecin-Premier Tech, and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to Decathlon CMA CGM and more – so that will have an impact on the kits too.

While teams will have tried to keep the fresh designs under wraps, a few have leaked into the public domain. However, this list will only have confirmed designs. So far, those who are fans of garish outfits should be pleased.

So far, we are only certain of a few kits for next season, but more will appear in the coming weeks or days. We'll update this as we go!

Picnic PostNL

If I were to play spot the difference, I would be hard pushed with the 2026 Picnic PostNL kit. It remains navy and orange, with the 'Keep Challenging' stripes, and the name is the same too. There are a couple of new sponsors on there, and this is apparently different, but that's it.

As the press release says: "Clear and vibrant amongst the colourful peloton: fans, commentators and pundits alike won’t have to re-adjust for the 2026 campaign as they can expect to see the two orange stripes from those helicopter shots on even the foggiest of days."

Pinarello-Q36.5

It's a continuation of navy for the renamed Pinarello-Q36.5, but no white sleeves this year. Instead, this smart jersey is fully navy, with fancy gold accents. The bikes don't look bad either...

According to Q36.5's founder, Luigi Bergamo: "The new jersey design evolves the visual language we began developing last season to reflect the Italian values of premium, daring, design that we share with Pinarello.

"The result is a kit that allows our riders to feel, from the very first moment they pull on the kit, that they are part of something special and unique: the only team in the professional peloton founded and powered by Italian technical partners. We can’t wait to see this jersey (and our iconic Dottore bib shorts!) racing sharp at the front of the bunch."

Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco

MAAP entered WorldTour cycling with their Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco kits, and have stuck to their theme from 2025 with this purple – sorry, "Aurora" – jersey, paired with dark grey shorts.

The new addition is the flame motif, which stretches to the socks, which is a bit of fun.

MAAP's creative director, Misha Glisovic, said: "MAAP has always been driven to push the boundaries. It’s core to who we are and how we see our place in the sport. We want to use design to broaden the appeal of pro cycling, nudging the sport towards something more stylish and aspirational. Ultimately, we want to be true to our values at MAAP, and GreenEDGE shares this vision."

Human Powered Health

Women's WorldTour squad Human Powered Health have partnered with Verge Sport for their new kit. The new design keeps the orange/red/purple that we have become used to for the team, but in a new pattern, which is called 'Tailwind'. It's designed "to embody speed, motion, and momentum".

The press release says the jersey has a "rich, sweeping warm-to-cool colour gradient that represents Human Powered Health’s Pillars of Performance". It'll be paired with black shorts.

Lotto-Intermarché

The newly merged Lotto-Intemarché go with the red of Lotto for 2026. The kit is a dark-ish red, paired with black shorts, and there isn't really too much more to say about it. It's smart!

According to the statement: "In terms of colour, both main sponsors, Intermarché and Lotto, were already allies: their brand colours red and black dominate the design. The meaningful, subtle fingerprint pattern further strengthens the bold look."

Bahrain Victorious

Bahrain Victorious have been red, orange, purple, and white, but never blue. That changes in 2026, when the team, now riding Bianchi bikes, will be in navy blue with teal sleeves.

The press release reveals deeper meanings: "At the heart of the kit sits a deep navy, a colour that has been part of the team’s identity since its foundation. Subtly woven into the design is a faint “X” that crosses the jersey, the Roman numeral representing ten years in the sport.

"On the sleeves of the jersey, Bianchi’s iconic Celeste is distinctly featured, perfectly matching the shallow blue waters and teal tones that represent Bahrain’s two seas."

Visma-Lease a Bike

The men and women of Visma-Lease a Bike will continue in yellow for 2026, wearing a kit made by Nimbl, who are more known for their cycling shoes.

According to Francesco Matrone, graphic designer at Nimbl: "In a WorldTour context, design must be essential, intentional, and instantly recognizable. One of our key goals was to create a visual identity that's identifiable at speed and reflects performance and clarity. It must be unmistakably Visma-Lease a Bike. Every graphic element is functional, integrated, and designed to perform under pressure.”

EF Pro Cycling

EF Education–EasyPost and EF Education–Oatly will remain pink next year, but have switched kit suppliers from Rapha to Assos.

Assos says the 2026 kit reflects a "forward-looking mindset" with a "bold colour palette" that evolves EF Pro Cycling’s unmistakable visual identity while introducing "a new, almost other-worldly energy to the peloton."

The silver bits are fun, and pink is always good to me – I just wonder what's going to happen when the Giro d'Italia comes around.

Alpecin-Premier Tech and Fenix-Premier Tech

It's a brand new name for Alpecin-Premier Tech and Fenix-Premier Tech – no more Deceuninck – but not a completely new kit, with similar vibes for the WorldTour and Women's WorldTour teams. The men's team has a kit made by Kalas, which is the same blue as before, more or less, but with a bit more of a light grading across the chest.

The women's team, meanwhile, wear a kit made by Alé, which is pretty similar to the orange of 2025, and there doesn't seem to be the green and blue options from before.

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto are usually found in a bold, colourful kit, and next season is no different. This is Luminous, designed by Mckenzie Sampson and made by Canyon. It takes a dark purple base and merges it with turquoise, pink, coral and red.

Sampson said: "I’ve always found Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto to be an aspiring light within the peloton. They’re a team that gives a unique platform to a diverse set of riders across the globe to get their big break in cycling. To visually illustrate that sense of light and hope, we wanted the kit design to be bold yet convey the right balance of contrasting light, unique patterns, and rich saturated moments of colour."

AG Insurance-Soudal

AG Insurance-Soudal have mostly the same kit as their brother team Soudal Quick-Step, just with different sponsors. There is a new logo, too: Datashift, a Belgian leader in data solutions and strategy.

It's a blue base, with green accents across, with a white band across the chest for AG Insurance.

Ineos Grenadiers

There was rumour and speculation that it might happen, but now it is official... Ineos Grenadiers will be wearing WHITE yes WHITE shorts next season. Well, it's technically 'light grey', but come on.

Orange is the main colour on the jersey for the first time, after various blues and reds, but it is the white that stands out. It's as striking, if not more so, as AG2R's famous brown shorts, and we wonder how the riders are feeling about it...

The press release says: "The design was created with a clear purpose: immediate recognition. The exclusive use of this orange ensures a striking presence in the peloton, while the white panels on the lower sections add balance and clarity, allowing the leading colour to shine with harmonious strength. The result is a sophisticated, functional and memorable kit."

Apparently: "Orange is the new uniqueness. Orange is the new icon." Read our opinion on it here.

Soudal Quick-Step

It's evolution not revolution for Soudal Quick-Step in 2026, who have a similar kit to this season, but green rather than white as the accent colour, along with the classic blue.

According to the team: "The new design incorporates a vivid electric-lime element, a deliberate move inspired by the Shine for Safety visibility campaign launched during this year’s Ardennes Classics."

There is a lot more green on the back, which will help them stand out, apparently. It's a nice wavy pattern. The kit is designed and made by Castelli.

FDJ United-SUEZ

If you're thinking "I've seen this kit before", you would be right. FDJ United-SUEZ will be wearing their 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift kit full-time next year. It's largely black, with an explosion of red and blue on the chest.

The press release says about the Gobik kit: "The jersey reflects the unseen hours of the sport: training sessions before dawn, rides in the rain, the fear and doubts of a jour sans. In contrast, a vivid halo of light rises on the chest, symbolising the inner spark that transforms sacrifice into brilliance at the moment of victory.

Demi Vollering won't be in this kit, given the Dutchwoman is European champion.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG

UAE Team Emirates-XRG rarely mix the colour palette up too much, and 2026 will be no different – it's largely white, with black and red trim, but it definitely has changed since last season.

The Pissei kit, handcrafted at the brand's Italian Custom Lab, has some fun geometric patterns on the stormach of the jersey, with black on the arms too. Don't expect to see Tadej Pogačar in this one, however, considering he is world champion.

Movistar

It's a second year in a row in white for Movistar, who have ditched the navy box across the chest for this cleaner offering. There is the classic M on the front, and some accents across the rest of the front.

Apparently: "Gobik sought a futuristic aesthetic, an evolution that projects innovation and performance on a white base. Technological textures, iridescent graphics and subtle transparencies were combined to create a striking design that reflects the identity and avant-garde spirit of the team." Avant-garde. Right.

Lidl-Trek

Lidl-Trek's kit is different. Definitely. There's less red on the front, more blue, and there's a new sponsor on the front, but it is, essentially, the same as last year. There's nothing wrong with that! It's a good kit! "Our favourite colours" is what the team said. Keep it simple. The men and women use the same kit, which is good.

The team say: "With a fresh twist on a fan-favorite design, Santini have delivered again with the 2026 Lidl-Trek kit. Pairing the ultimate fabrics with playful colours, the latest design delivers looks as well as performance."

Decathlon CMA CGM

Sadly, there's no exciting bumf to go with the new Decathlon CMA CGM kit, but with a new name comes a new colour - red. The brown shorts are sadly still in the dustbin of history, with new sponsors CMA CGM bringing the new colour. One sleeve is still teal (?) while the other is a lot darker, rather than the dark blue it was before.

Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe

Now, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe's kit is yet to be officially announced, but seeing as all the riders in the plane stunt were wearing a new kit, let's assume this is the new one for 2026. It's a lot whiter than before, with royal blue sleeves, and less navy. It is similar to the special kit they used at the Tour de France this season.

SD Worx-Protime

SD Worx-Protime have veered away from the purple and pinks of recent years, and instead will race in this primary colour-heavy jersey which is called "New Dawn"

It's designed by Specialized, and is paired with black shorts. Notably, Lotte Kopecky will be racing in it, no longer being world, European, or Belgian champion, for once.

According to the press release: "The new jersey reflects the team’s and sponsors’ ongoing drive for innovation. Standing still is not an option – continuously reinventing ourselves in every aspect is a core value at SD Worx-Protime. The new design symbolises our rich history through the spark, now multiplied and displayed in various shades. This emphasises the team’s slogan: we spark success."

NSN Cycling

The team formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech have become NSN Cycling, and will be wearing a busy kit next season, with a base of sky blue and orange. The jury is out over whether this will be easy to notice or to lose in the peloton. They're also riding Scott bikes now.

If you want to know why it looks like this, the press release says: "It's designed by Stijn Dossche of stycle.design, is inspired by the Mediterranean city from which the team’s new identity has been forged.

"Its design blends geometry, colour blocks, and patterns reminiscent of contemporary Barcelona - a city that never stands still, where tradition meets modernity, where Mediterranean light becomes art, and movement becomes identity."

Just in time for the Tour de France Grand Départ in July, then – that's in Barça.

Groupama-FDJ United

Another new name, though less dramatic, is Groupama-FDJ United. The French stalwarts are slow to change their kits, normally, and the same is true next year. It's the fetching number they wore at this year's Tour, although it's now made by Bioracer rather than Alé. Essentially, it's royal blue with a red accent sleeve.

Cofidis

Cofidis are another French team barely changing their kit for 2026. The men's and women's teams, now both ProTeams, will use the same red and yellow jersey as this season, although the shades might have been slightly altered, and the sponsors have moved around a bit.

Fränk Schleck will return to pro cycling with the squad he left nine years ago, Lidl-Trek, but this time in the team car rather than on the bike.

The 45-year-old retired from pro cycling at the end of 2016, after riding for the various iterations of Trek since 2011. Now, he will be a DS for Lidl-Trek's women's team, working under Ina-Yoko Teutenberg.

Schleck was a pro cyclist for 14 years, rising to the top of the sport alongside his brother, Andy, and finished on the podium of the Tour de France in 2011. He served a doping ban for a year in 2012 after testing positive for the diuretic Xipamide during the Tour, returning in 2014.

"It feels amazing to be back," Schleck said. "This team means a lot to me, and there’s a real sense of pride and familiarity returning to a place with so many good memories.

"Coming in from the outside, I could immediately see the energy and direction of the project. The October camp showed me how committed everyone is to pushing standards, and it’s exciting to now be part of that process."

"Personally, I want to contribute as much as I can on and off the field and help the team reach the next level," he continued. "Success for me is seeing us achieve our collective goals. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with the team."

The Women's WorldTour squad won 16 races in 2025, including four at WorldTour level. It was the final season for Lizzie Deignan and Ellen van Dijk, so next year will prove a new start for the team, which includes Anna Henderson, Niamh Fisher-Black and Elisa Balsamo.

Schleck is the second new DS announced at Lidl-Trek this week, with Bernie Eisel set to join the men's side of the operation. The team is also now majority-owned by Lidl, rather than Trek, in a big shift.

Lidl-Trek are now majority owned by Lidl, and with the new agreement, are aiming for the top of cycling.

The team announced on Monday that a contract had been signed between the German supermarket giant and American bike company Trek on Friday, which sees the latter still retain a "significant stake".

The news first emerged at the end of July; it is the latest move by Lidl into cycling. The team rebranded both its men’s and women’s WorldTour teams in June 2023 after Lidl came on board just before the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia Women. Since then, the team's budget has expanded and their goals have risen too.

The deal was reached at Lidl-Trek's October team camp, which took place at Lidl Germany's headquarters in Bad Wimpfen, with over 160 team employees. The HQ will act as the team's home in the future, with a logistics centre and a performance area planned.

A statement reads: "The new ownership structure ensures the stability and the necessary resources to recruit and retain top talent, to invest in a state-of-the-art performance centre and to use the technological expertise of Schwarz Digits, the digital powerhouse of the Schwarz Group.

"Trek Bicycle remains a committed co-owner and the technical partner, continuing its legacy of innovation and deep connection to the sport. The team will continue to race with the same culture, spirit, and dedication that fans around the world have come to know and love."

"Expanding the partnership between Trek and Lidl is the perfect way to cap off an incredible season on the road for Lidl-Trek," Roger Gierhart, the vice-president of Trek Bicycle, said in the press release. "Together, we have the resources, tools and expertise to take this team to the very top of the sport."

"The signing of this contract marks a monumental moment for Lidl-Trek," Thomas Rohregger, Lidl's head of brand partnerships and cycling, added. "We approached this project with immense respect for the legacy that Lidl-Trek has built, and we are now formally and jointly committing to the next chapter.

"The partnership is based on the strategic goal of transferring Lidl’s organizational excellence to Lidl-Trek and combining the expertise of both co-owners to achieve our ambitious goals. The combined resources and expertise are intended to accelerate the team’s performance development in the coming seasons."

Lidl-Trek's men's squad won the points jerseys at all three Grand Tours this year, the first time this has ever been achieved, through Mads Pedersen (Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España), and Jonathan Milan (Tour de France). They won 46 races, and were the third-highest ranked team.

For 2026, they have signed Juan Ayuso, underscoring their aim to be a GC team as well as a force in the Classics and sprints.

Meanwhile, the women's team won 16 times, including two WorldTour victories for GB's Anna Henderson; they were ranked fourth by the UCI at the end of the season.

Juan Ayuso will ride for Lidl-Trek next year, signing a five-year contract with the team, after leaving his UAE Team Emirates-XRG contract early.

The Spanish rider, a two-time stage winner at this year's Vuelta a España, is considered one of the most promising general classification riders in the peloton. He won Tirreno-Adriatico this year, has won a stage of the Giro d'Italia, and also finished on the podium of his first Vuelta in 2022.

However, his contract with UAE, which ran until 2028, was terminated due to "differences in the vision of development plans and in the alignment with the team’s sporting philosophy".

Due to those differences, the 23-year-old will ride for Lidl-Trek next season, it was announced on Thursday morning, although he will race in UAE colours for the rest of the year.

"I’m really excited," Ayuso said in a press release. "Joining Lidl-Trek is the start of an important new chapter in my career, and I’m motivated to keep growing as a rider. Change always brings new energy and ambitions, so I can’t wait to get started.

"From the outside you can see the team has built a strong identity, with a lot of unity and ambition. The long-term project they’re putting together is something quite unique and special. It feels like a place where I can take the next step in my development, surrounded by riders and staff who share the same goals. I want to keep improving in the biggest races; the Team has the ambition to become the best team in the world, so I’m really looking forward to contributing to that success.

"I feel super grateful towards the team for giving me this opportunity and their confidence. I can’t wait to wear the Lidl-Trek jersey."

For their part, Lidl-Trek's Luca Guercilena, said: "Juan is one of the brightest young talents in cycling. He is already one of the best climbers and time trialists in the world, which makes for a very exciting package.

"At only 23 years old, he still has room to grow, and we are committed to giving him all the support he needs to reach his full potential. Bringing Juan on board is an important step in our long-term vision, and we are excited to see what we can achieve together in the years ahead."

Ayuso is set to race the elite men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, this weekend, before heading to the European Championships and then Il Lombardia.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG powered to team time trial victory on stage five of the Vuelta a España, while Jonas Vingegaard moved back into the red jersey.

The team of Juan Ayuso and João Almeida were the third-last to finish, and took Lidl-Trek out of the hot seat, after they had been there for a long time. UAE averaged 56.8km/h over the 24.1km course.

Visma-Lease a Bike looked to be losing a significant amount of time, but managed to pull it back to within seven seconds of UAE.

It means Vingegaard takes back control of the race lead, taking over from David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), who finished 25 seconds behind UAE.

Just 16 seconds separated first from the fifth place team on Wednesday, Ineos Grenadiers, with Lotto in 10th a further 10 seconds back. After stage five, it means just nine seconds separate the top five on GC, three of whom are UAE riders, while 10th-placed Egan Bernal is 22 seconds behind Vingegaard.

"We knew we would be fighting for the win, but there are a lot of good teams here and we needed to be realistic," Almeida said post stage on TNT Sports. "I think we did a really perfect job and we deserve this as well.

"For the team atmosphere to get even better it’s good, to give us confidence as well. The gaps are small, it’s not really anything, but it’s a good start."

"We had a plan, we did it perfectly, the team with everybody was super strong," he continued. "We had some surprises in a good way, it was an amazing team effort, congrats to everybody.

"Everyone was a bit tired, we were going all in. I was looking behind to see my teammates because the time counted with four guys. I just smashed the pedals to get every second, so I’m happy.

"I’d like to have the red jersey, it’s beautiful, I’ve never worn it before. It would be nice to wear it for the first time, but it doesn't matter when. I’m closer to it."

How it happened

Lotto were the first team down the start ramp in Figueres, outside the Teatre-Museu Dalí, designed by Salvador Dalí himself.

The first stage in Spain of this Vuelta a España took place on twisting flat Catalunyan roads, with Lotto averaging 55.8km/h over the first 7km. The second time check, after 15.4km, saw Lotto clock in faster, at an average of 56.2km/h. The Belgian ProTeam set an early benchmark of 25:53.28, at an average speed of 55.97km/h.

The first team to go faster than Lotto at the first timecheck was Jayco AlUla, a whole eight seconds quicker. Lidl-Trek then went eight seconds faster again. At the second time check, Lidl-Trek were almost 12 seconds up on Lotto. Just past the second time check, Carlos Verona innocuously crashed into a barrier, such was the pace the American team were putting in.

Lidl-Trek finished with four riders left, 18 seconds quicker than Lotto, averaging 56.6km/h across the 24.1km.

Interestingly, Q3.65 Pro Cycling, the team of Tom Pidcock, finished second, 13 seconds behind Lidl-Trek. Meanwhile, Orluis Aular of Movistar missed a corner, and went cross-country.

Ineos Grenadiers set a new fastest time at the first intermediate check, going nine seconds faster than Lidl-Trek. They could not keep up with their rivals by the time of the next timing check, or the finish, coming in seven seconds behind.

Israel-Premier Tech were slowed by protestors early on in their effort, which took them out of contention.

Matteo Sobrero of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe crashed, and was seen being attended to by medics. Despite this mishap, the German team finished with three seconds of Lidl-Trek, finishing with six riders.

Quicker at the first timecheck than Lidl-Trek, but slower at the second, UAE Team Emirates-XRG managed to turn their effort around in the closing kilometres, while also being down to four men.

The team of Juan Ayuso and João Almeida finished quicker than Lidl-Trek by nine seconds, averaging 56.8km/h in the end.

Visma-Lease a Bike had a mixed TTT, going close to UAE at the first timecheck, then 13 seconds slower at timing point two, but then seven seconds behind at the finish, securing Jonas Vingegaard the red jersey once again.

Results

Vuelta a España 2025 stage five: Figueres > Figueres TTT (24.1km)

1. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 25:26
2. Visma-Lease a Bike, +8s
3. Lidl-Trek, +9s
4. Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +12s
5. Ineos Grenadiers, +16s
6. Movistar, +17s
7. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +17s
8. Q36.5 Pro Cycling, +22s
9. Groupama-FDJ, +24s
10. Lotto, +27s

General classification after stage five

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 16:11:24
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +8s
3. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG
4. Marc Soler (Esp) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, all at same time
5. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek, +9s
6. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +16s
7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, at same time
8. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +20s
9. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time
10. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, +22s

Jonathan Milan is no stranger to winning the sprint competition at a Grand Tour, having secured the maglia ciclamino for points at the 2024 Giro d'Italia ahead of Kaden Groves and Tim Merlier. For most of his 2025 Tour de France campaign, Milan has used a Trek Madone SLR Project One with the same ‘Couler’ paint scheme as his teammates. Having won the Points Classification competition, the team awarded him with a green-themed Trek Madone SLR Project One to honour his achievement.

After Alpecin–Deceuninck's Jasper Philipsen crashed out with a broken collarbone on stage 3, the Italian looked the clear favourite to win the jersey, with his nearest threat being neither Tim Merlier nor Biniam Girmay, but rather Tadej Pogačar. In the end, Milan secured the jersey quite comfortably, matching Soudal Quick-Step's Tim Merlier with two stage wins and amassing a total of 372 points, compared to Pogačar's 294 points.

At 1.93m tall and 84kg, Milan is a veritable man mountain among the slender builds dominating the peloton – naturally, he rides a size 60cm frame. To differentiate his Madone from his teammates, Lidl-Trek turned to Project One (an in-house custom bike building service offered by Trek) to do the honours, and boy, did they pull out all the stops with this particular build.

The centrepiece in this custom creation is the metallic chrome green treatment (Chroma Ivy) created by Project One. This talismanic hue secured him both the final intermediate points on the Champs-Élysées on stage 21 and the maillot vert (green jersey). It looks sensational, with the chrome finish mirroring the scenery and architecture while capturing the changes in light and mood.

Bar the paint and matching Trek and sponsor logo on the frame crankarms and brake levers, the build remains largely unchanged. There are, however, one or two extra nods to the green jersey, including the Time XPro 10 Celebration Edition road bike pedals and Wahoo Elemnt Roam 3 bike computer with colour-coded wordmark logo. Other neat additions include the personalised 'Milan' stickers on the wheels and top tube. Speaking of wheels, Milan's Madone rides on Bontrager Aeolus RSL62 Tubeless shod in 28mm Pirelli PZero Race TLR RS tyres.

The balance of the build comprises a SRAM Red AXS groupset complete with 54/41T chainrings and a 10-33T cassette. While Milan has used 175mm crankarms in the past, he opted for 172.5mm SRAM Red cranks – something we highlighted in our article on tech trends that dominated the Tour de France. The crankset comes fitted with a Quarq Power Meter.

Touchpoints remain unchanged for the Italian – as such, the cockpit features an integrated 42cm Madone RSL bar with a 120mm,- 7-degree stem, while a 142g Bontrager RSL 145 saddle completes the rear end of the bike.

Lidl-Trek have revealed that the team’s two naming sponsors are in "advanced discussions" regarding a change in the ownership structure which will see the supermarket chain acquire a majority stake in the American-registered squad.

The team rebranded both its men’s and women’s rosters in June 2023 after Lidl came on board just before the Tour de France and Giro Donne.

According to a press release issued on Friday, the new deal between both sponsors is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, subject to approval of the relevant cycling authorities. The deal would also mean that Trek retains “a significant ownership stake” in the project the bike brand initially founded in 2014.

An increase in funding provided by the initial deal with Lidl enabled the team to go in search of super-team status within the peloton. The men’s team made several key new signings, including Tao Geoghegan Hart from Ineos Grenadiers, in a bid to pursue that ambition. The women's team did so too, with Niamh Fisher-Black, Riejanne Markus and Emma Norsgaard coming in for this year.

As well as enhancing the resources available to its riders, a renewed long-term commitment from both of its main partners will mean that investment can be put aside for a ‘state-of-the-art performance centre, the team said.

"Trek started this ambitious project in 2014, laying the foundation for the team we have today, and we are extremely proud of everything that we have achieved since then," Lidl-Trek’s general manager, Luca Guercilena, said. "Now, with Lidl planning to join Trek in co-ownership and discussions progressing constructively, the future looks even brighter. But our philosophy will remain the same: to be the team fans want to root for as we fight to be the best.

"Of course, a goal so ambitious is only possible with the unwavering trust and support of outstanding companies like Lidl and Trek, who share our vision for the future. Our track record of nurturing talent speaks for itself, and with our development team now well established, we’re excited for what is to come."

Jonathan Milan has given Lidl-Trek’s men’s squad plenty of success at the ongoing Tour de France. The Italian has won two stages and appears set to win the points classification in Paris on Sunday.

It has also been reported that Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty have reportedly signed a letter of intent to join forces for 2026 and beyond. Reports in the Belgian media suggested that the move has come about due to both of the squads struggling to compete on their own with the bigger budget teams at the top of the pyramid.

News of the merger was initially expected to be confirmed on the Tour’s second rest day, which then passed without an announcement. Talks are said to be ongoing but the move would mean that Lotto would take control of the prospective WorldTour licence available.

This would mean that all of the riders currently contracted to Intermarché-Wanty would be able to look for transfers elsewhere, including Biniam Girmay if he opts not to remain with the new Lotto-Intermarché project.

Lizzie Deignan, former world champion and pioneer of women's professional cycling, has announced her immediate retirement from the sport.

The decision was made as the 36-year-old is pregnant with her third child, due in February 2026. Deignan was due to finish her career at the end of this season, but has now brought her retirement forward.

Over 19 seasons as a pro, the Brit recorded 43 wins, including the UCI Road World Championships, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Strade Bianche. Her legacy also counts her as one of the first female professional cyclists to have a child and return to the highest level.

“Often people say, ‘Retire at the top.’ But I have no ego or necessity to retire at the top,” said Deignan.

The Lidl-Trek rider's last victory came at the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021, where she attacked solo with more than 80km remaining. In recent years, she has taken on a domestique role within her team.

“I’m really happy to go full circle and to have ended my career as somebody that helps other people win bike races again,” she said.

After joining her first UCI team in 2007, Deignan went on to become the number one ranked cyclist in the world.

She took time out of racing in 2018 to give birth to her daughter, Orla, and did the same in 2020, when she and her husband Philip welcomed their second child, a son named Shea.

“I have this life outside of cycling that gives me so much fulfilment and so much love,” Deignan said.

In a press release announcing her retirement, the Brit’s Lidl-Trek team described her as a “consummate leader and mentor”, who has “lead the charge for more exposure on women’s cycling and better compensation for her colleagues”.

Deignan’s last race was the Copenhagen Sprint in June, where she placed 89th. Before that, she rode the Tour of Britain Women, a race she won twice during her career.

“It feels like it’s come full circle. Obviously I started off racing here in the UK, so it’s nice to get one final race here,” she told Cycling Weekly at the Tour of Britain.

Deignan went on to say that professional women’s cycling is “night and day different” today to when she first started.

“I feel like I’ve carried the torch for quite a long time now, and it’s really cool that there is now a group of women ready to take over,” she said.

Deignan's palmarès also counts a silver medal in the road race at the 2012 Olympics, a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and four British national road race titles.

What do Mads Pedersen and an otter have in common? Surprisingly, a few things actually: they both call Denmark home, have slicked-back hair, and, as of the past year, they both rely on salmon for performance.

You see, the diet of a pro cyclist and a marine mammal isn’t so different. The way they consume it is, though. While otters hunt and eat salmon fresh from the river, Lidl-Trek's squad has been taking a hydrolyzed version of the fish – broken down by a chemical reaction with water – in the form of recovery drink tablets.

Made by brand Unbroken, the WorldTour squad has been using the tablets since last August. According to the team, the new nutrition “has already played a key role” in their “standout” 2025 season, in which they’ve won six Giro d’Italia stages, the Grand Tour's ciclamino jersey, and the Amstel Gold Race.

The decision to trial the tablets came from Lidl-Trek’s team doctor, Jens Hinder. “Sometimes when new products come on the market, I get in contact and I ask if I could have a few items to check and see how it works,” he explained.

Hinder first took the product himself, then tested it with a group of amateur athletes, before introducing it to the Lidl-Trek squad at last year’s Vuelta a España.

One of those who used the tablets at the race was Mattias Skjelmose. “I started taking it before and after the stages, and I felt good so I continued to use it,” the eventual white jersey and Amstel Gold winner said.

“The Vuelta was a big success, so it could be that there were some gains there. I feel like I have an improved recovery with Unbroken, and I feel better on the bike day to day. I feel like my general well-being and overall health has improved too. I’m quite surprised at how good I feel.”

So what’s in the tablets, and do they actually taste like fish?

Made with Norwegian salmon protein, Unbroken’s product contains all nine essential amino acids, as well as vitamin B12 and zinc to help energy and immune recovery. The use of fish as a supplement is not a new phenomenon in cycling; eating oily fish or fish oil is understood to be a good source of omega-3 fats, which help cognitive function, muscle recovery and reduce inflammation.

With regards to the flavour, no, the tablets don’t taste like fish. Instead, they come in four different flavours: apple, lemon and lime, mango, and orange.

Lidl-Trek’s mens and women’s teams will wear Unbroken’s logo on their jerseys from next week’s men’s Tour de France and Giro d’Italia Women, as part of the team's partnership with the brand.

When you see Skjelmose take a swig at the finish line, know that it won't just be electrolytes in the bottle. All the way from Norway, there'll be a hint of salmon in there, too.

Lennard Kämna has said that he initially felt "uncomfortable" when being overtaken by vehicles during his return to training after making his comeback from injuries caused by being struck by a car driver in Tenerife last April.

The 28-year-old German was in hospital for two months after the incident and says he was left with multiple broken bones. He moved to Lidl-Trek in the off-season from Red-Bull-Bora Hansgrohe and competed for the first time since the collision at the Volta a Catalunya last week.

In a recent interview with The Cycling Podcast, Kämna described feeling anxious on his return to training on the roads and says being hit by the driver has left him with a heightened awareness of the unpredictability of traffic and other road users.

"For the first one or two weeks, the noise of a lot of cars made me uncomfortable," he said. "The first time I went out it felt super natural, I was just a bit more cautious that’s for sure and I’d say now I feel completely normal in traffic again.

"But for sure I have a bigger eye on cars now that are coming from the front or coming out of somewhere. I always have a feeling that I’m looking a lot more now right and left at what they’re doing, have they seen me, have they not seen me."

“In the end it was a super lucky outcome that I’m able to sit here and that I’m able to do pro sport again, it’s just incredible," he added.

Kämna explained that he has no memory of the collision and that waking up in hospital, where he underwent surgery, was a major shock at the time.

"I didn’t know why I was in the hospital," he said. "All of a sudden I was there and it took me a really long time to understand what had happened and really realise that it was not a dream or whatever, it was reality. I think I broke 11 or 12 bones in the end. I broke seven or eight ribs, my shoulder blade, my scapula, one bone in my face and that was basically it.

"I spent four weeks in a hospital in Tenerife and then another four weeks in a hospital in Hamburg in Germany. It was not really a nice time, that’s for sure. I had never been overnight in a hospital before so everything was new to me. I was just hoping to get out of there as quickly as I could."

The 28-year-old Wedel native said that he had to rely on the testimonies of witnesses to piece together what exactly happened in Tenerife in the build up to the driver hitting him.

"I don’t have any memories [of the crash] at all," he explained. "I was descending and then a car came up and just overlooked me and went into a parking spot or a road, I actually don’t know and I also don’t know where exactly it happened. The car then went in front of me and I hit it.

"I always say how long does it take for a car to cross a road, maybe one or two seconds, so this is also the time I had to do something or not. It’s basically no time at all. When I think about it there was not a lot I could have done, I was just unlucky."

Kämna is set to continue his comeback at the Tour of the Alps in April, a race which has previously provided him with success including two stage wins in 2022 and 2023.

Despite a string of fierce attacks, Lidl-Trek's streak at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda could not be broken on Sunday, Elisa Balsamo sealing her third victory in the Italian Classic.

The former world champion, defending her Binda title, was the fastest in a bunch sprint to the line in Cittiglio.

Her victory marked her team's fifth in a row, and came after long-range bids from Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) were staved off by the bunch.

"I’m speechless. Honestly, it was one of the hardest races ever for me. The last two laps were crazy," Balsamo said at the finish line. "I’m happy. My teammates did a great job. It’s always so nice to win in Italy, and at this race, so it’s a perfect day.”

In the closing metres, Balsamo reacted to a sprint from Cat Ferguson (Movistar), who was making her WorldTour debut at 18 years old. The Brit eventually placed an impressive third, behind Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) and Balsamo.

"I really like this race. I know every single metre of the race," Balsamo said. "Today, a lot of friends and all my family were there. They were pushing me on the last climb – every 10 metres there was someone. I’m so happy."

How it happened

It would take almost an hour and a half of racing before the first attacks came in Italy. Entering the finishing circuit – which the peloton would complete six times – a 13-rider group sprung clear, led by former world champion Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek).

The breakaway’s charge lasted until 32km to go to the line in Cittiglio. At that point, its last remnants were reeled back in, triggering a two-rider counterattack, which ended up being short-lived.

Heading into the final lap, Van der Breggen opened up a gap over the peloton. The Dutchwoman’s move would end up triggering the cream to rise to the top; Longo Borghini followed shortly afterwards, setting off responses from Vollering, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and eventually Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Again, though, the leaders were caught by the bunch, and everything came back together with 11km to go.

With one final kicker before the finish, Longo Borghini would not be deterred. Winner of the race in 2021, the Italian champion attacked again with 8km remaining, drawing out a six-rider lead group that also contained Vollering.

Their advantage stretched out to a handful of seconds, a leash that proved too short to break away. The attackers were swallowed up in the melee of the impending sprint, set on an uphill drag to the line, where Ferguson kicked through the pedals from distance.

Would it be a dream season opener for the teenager? Almost. But the experience of Balsamo, the fastest finisher on the day, brought the winning edge.

Results

Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2025 (152km)

1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:00:19
2. Blanka Vas (Hun) SD Worx-Protime
3. Cat Ferguson (GBr) Movistar
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
5. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly
7. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
8. Monica Trinca Colonel (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
9. Kim Le Court (Mus) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ, all at same time

Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL) was relegated from 5th to 16th.

Unlike many other WorldTour riders, Tao Geoghegan Hart sees little point in publicly outlining grand plans for 2025 and is opting to instead take each race as it comes once the new campaign gets underway.

The now 29-year-old previously won the Giro d’Italia in 2020 and appeared to be returning to the form of his life in 2023 before suffering a broken leg in a high speed fall at the Giro that year. Geoghegan Hart won the Tour of the Alps that spring and explained in a recent media call that he had initially believed he was on track to challenge once more for the Giro GC had he not crashed out.

The London-born rider believes that he is more than capable of returning to those heights once more. But he says he is a realist and explained that he knows it will take time to reach that level again. Instead he wants to focus on the process and returning to being competitive in smaller races before he can consider bigger ambitions.

He said: "When I was a much younger rider, one of the managers in my previous team said there are basically three types of riders. There are riders who win races, riders who are learning to win races and riders who help others win races.

"This is the period of my career where I really want to be a rider that makes results. The day I broke my leg, I was 100% sure I was going to fight for the GC in that Grand Tour and that's something that's super inspiring to me. That's the reason I started this sport.

"That's the aim, to come back there. But first, there are steps before that, which is being competitive, even in smaller races. My aim is to be back competing and leading my team and leading my teammates, making a nice group around me to really try and win races in a nice way or at least to give it a good try."

Geoghegan Hart’s seven year spell at Ineos came to an end in August 2023 when it was announced that he had joined Lidl-Trek on a three-year deal. He was aiming to ride the Tour de France in 2024 with his new team before a period of illness meant he needed to change his plans.

Given all that he has experienced in the last two years he now sees little point in making big statements of intent as it traditional at this time of year and instead he believes it makes far more sense to take it step by step, starting with the Volta ao Algarve in February which will be his first race of the season.

"I really want to take the focus not necessarily race by race, but certainly to focus on the first period," he said. "That’s my big goal. At this time of year there’s a lot of headlines about people’s targets and announcements but that's the reality for me. I think it’s a little nonsensical to look past that and to start looking at big goals."

He added: "I really tried that last year after coming back. We were already talking about the Tour with the team before I’d even ridden the bike. It was super inspiring at the time but now it feels like a more logical approach is just to focus on getting back to my best."

Ultimately, Geoghegan Hart hopes to continue to be a positive influence within his new surroundings at Lidl-Trek and to help push the team on wherever he can.

"It would be super nice to get some wins," he continued. "I would like to be here next year and see that the team recognizes me as someone who's contributing at races, leading the team, doing that off the bike as much as on it. That's important for me. It's about feeling like the purpose is being fulfilled."

Lidl-Trek rider Julien Bernard has received a fine of 200CHF (£174) after he pulled up at the side of the road and embraced his family on stage seven of the Tour de France. 

The French rider was sanctioned for "unseemly or inappropriate behaviour during the race and damage to the image of the sport", according to the race jury's report. 

The moment came during the day's time trial, which finished in Gevrey-Chambertin, just a 20-minute drive from Bernard's home. On a climb halfway through the route, the 32-year-old was greeted by hundreds of poster-wielding fans, as well as his wife and son. 

Upon seeing his family, Bernard unclipped from his pedals, put a foot on the floor, and kissed his wife. He then continued his effort against the clock, finishing 61st, three minutes and 11 seconds down on the stage winner, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step).

Commenting on his fine after the stage, Bernard wrote on X: "Sorry UCI for having damaged the image of the sport. But I am willing to pay 200CHF everyday and relive this moment." 

The Frenchman was surrounded at the finish line by camera crews in Gevrey-Chambertin, where he told the media it had been a "crazy stage" for him. 

"I had been waiting for it for months," he said. "In modern cycling, it's not easy to stop and see your family, but here, with a time trial, it was perfect, because I could take time to savour it. And I savoured it. 

"[Stopping to see my wife] is a moment that will only happen once in my life, so I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. She’s the one who organised everything. We have to thank her for that." 

Bernard's fine was not the most severe dealt by the race jury on Friday. Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider Kévin Vauquelin, winner of stage two, received a 500CHF (£435) sanction for an offence on stage six labelled “assault, intimidation, insults, threats, incorrect behaviour or behaviour that is indecent or that endangers riders”. 

The time trial brought a small shake-up in the GC, with Evenepoel taking back 12 seconds on yellow-jersey-wearer Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who now leads by 33 seconds. 

Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) lost 25 seconds to Pogačar on the day, and holds his third place, now one minute and 15 seconds down. 

Lizzie Deignan was the greatest British female road cyclist of her generation. Her record stands up against some of the best racers of the last decade, although she has now retired. The Yorkshirewoman burst onto the scene in the late 2000s, and has been racing ever since. She started out on the track, but road racing was always her goal.

The 37-year-old returned to racing after spending the entirety of the 2022 season out in the run-up and aftermath of the birth of her second child, and had a lowkey 2023. 2025 was the last year that Deignan raced as a pro, as she is now expecting a third child.

Here are 21 things you didn't know about the Lidl-Trek rider.

1. Lizzie Deignan got into cycling aged 15, in 2004. She later said: “I started cycling when I was 15. I was talent spotted at school. I wasn’t a cyclist, I didn’t have a bike and basically British Cycling were talent spotting. They sent trailers into schools full of bikes and did crude testing on school fields."

2. She impressed the BC talent scouts by beating a boy, and was then given a bike. “I was just messing around and there was this lad who I’d known from primary school who taunted me into having a race with him and I couldn’t resist. I beat him obviously. I was given a bike, a coach and £500 of lottery funding.”

3. Deignan graduated from BC's Olympic Podium Programme, but never loved racing on the track. Despite this, she was a member of the winning team pursuit squad at the 2009 World Championships, alongside Joanna Rowsell Shand and Wendy Houvenaghel.

4. She was part of the five-woman team which helped Nicole Cooke to World Championship road race victory in Varese in 2008.

5. It was 2009 when Deignan really moved onto the road, finishing second at the British National Championships road race, and claiming her first trade team win at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International Ardèche in September that year. She won three more stages at the same race in 2010.

6. Her first National Championships win came in 2011, when she beat Cooke, Sharon Laws and Emma Pooley at Stamfordham. Deignan has four road race titles.

7. Her second place in the road race at the 2012 Olympics in London was the first medal Team GB claimed at the historic games, where it finished third in the medal table.

8. She suffered from a hiatus hernia in 2013, which was left undiagnosed during the year, her first season with Boels-Dolmans.

9. Her longest-running teammate is Ellen van Dijk. 2014 was the first season that Deignan spent on the same team as the Dutchwoman, who she has gone on to spend eight years with, at Boels-Dolmans and then at Trek-Segafredo.

10. Deignan raced against her current directeur sportif Ina-Yoko Teutenberg on 112 different occasions, with the German coming out on top 61 times. To be fair to Deignan, this was in her early years.

11. One of her most momentous victories came in 2014, when she beat Anna van der Breggen at the Ronde van Drenthe. Despite being almost two years younger, Van der Breggen retired in 2021.

12. She became the fourth-ever British woman to win the World Championships road race when she triumphed in Richmond, Virginia, in 2015, following Cooke, Beryl Burton and Mandy Jones. “I’ve got in trouble from a few people for not putting my hands up in the air,” she said. “It was absolute shock. You’ve got all that 130km of being totally focused and as soon as you cross the line it takes a few seconds to realise what’s happened."

13. She has finished in the top ten of the World Championship road race six times.

14. 2015 and 2016 saw Deignan at the top of the sport, as in two seasons she won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the British National Championships again, GP de Plouay, the Worlds, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, and the Womens Tour.

15. She was a trailblazer in becoming a mother and then returning to the sport. She moved from Boels-Dolmans to Trek-Segafredo during her maternity. In 2018, she said: "My career was up in the air really but I was then approached by Trek. I was concerned about my future in the sport as it hasn't really happened before at elite level road cycling."

16. She married former Team Sky cyclist Philip Deignan in 2016, changing her name from Armitstead to Deignan in the process.

17. Lizzie Deignan is a pescatarian, something she has been since the age of ten.

18. When Deignan won the first women's Paris-Roubaix in 2021, she became the only woman to complete the triple of women's monuments: the Tour of Flanders (2016), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2020) and Roubaix.

19. She had a second child, Shea, in 2022, which caused her to miss the entire 2022 season. Deignan said this year: "Leaving Shea before he was sleeping through the night, the control freak in me was wanting all those things to be set in stone before I left, but turns out he slept through the night the day I left. So he knew the plan.”

20. In doing so, and returning to action, she became the first female professional to have two children and return to racing. “I know the journey. I know how it works. I know that I have to trust in the process and my body,” she said this year. “Logically, I know that if I don’t feel 100 percent now then in a month, dramatic changes can happen. So that experience is useful."

21. She missed the first Tour de France Femmes due to the pregnancy, but worked at it as a television pundit, which gave her the urge to take part when she got the chance. "I felt like a fan and really soaked up the atmosphere, but at the same time it was reassuring being there because I still had the urge to race," she said. "I really wanted to the on the other side of the fence, with my teammates. I’m not ready to be a fan just yet!"

After recently teasing a new bike on social media during the Giro d’Italia, Lidl-Trek riders have been spotted aboard what appears to be a new edition of the brand’s Madone aero bike at the key Tour de France tune up race, the Critérium du Dauphiné. 

Shots of the bike show the word Madone clearly marked on the top tube. However, Trek is evidently keen to keep the guessing game going, with closer inspection revealing the name Émonda just showing through beneath the white lettering.

Since Trek's climbing focused Émonda hasn't been updated since 2020, whilst the aero Madone had a refresh in 2022, knowledge of cycling's product cycles would suggest the former would be next in line for a renewal. However, when it became clear that a new bike was on the cards, at Cycling Weekly, we placed our bets on a Madone. 

Now that the bike is being ridden at the Tour warm-up race, it looks more and more likely that we're anticipating an aero racer, and perhaps even the end of the Émonda climbing machine.

Other brands, most notably Specialized with the Tarmac SL8, have converged their aero and lightweight bikes, to create one all purpose machine, and it looks as if Trek may be aiming to provide the same for the likes of Mads Pedersen and Tao Geoghegan Hart. 

The new bike still features Trek's 'IsoFlow' tech, a hole in the seat tube which replaced the compliance boosting 'Isospeed' that Trek was so well known for, in the name of improved aerodynamics. 

Of course, it's possible Trek may have applied this tech to its climbing machine. However, the fork legs have a similar depth to the brand’s aero machine and the kink in the downward surface of the bike’s top tube is still present. 

Clearly, whatever name the bike will take, it works - Pedersen rode to victory and claimed the race’s first yellow leader’s jersey aboard the new weapon. 

Having been the source of speculation for several months, it's obvious that this bike is primed to be used by Lidl-Trek riders during the Tour and other major races this season. 

Meanwhile, other brand new bikes have been spotted at the Dauphiné last weekend. This included the new Pinarello Dogma F and a fresh new Canyon Aeroroad. 

"I did it for the crostata." These were the words uttered by Elisa Longo Borghini in the moments after she won the Tour of Flanders. 

At the time, I didn't think much of it. I didn't know what crostata was, and it seemed like a passing comment, an inside joke perhaps. Then the Italian won again, and said it again. 

This time it was at De Brabantse Pijl, earlier this week, where she soloed clear and won by 41 seconds. Why did she do it? "Only for crostata!" she wrote on X. As a capital-J journalist, I figured it was time for an investigation. 

First, I had to figure out what crostata was. This was the easy part. A quick Google search returned countless images of pies, the sweet, crusty type that get left on windowsills in cartoons. 

Wikipedia then stepped in. Crostata is a sort of fruit tart, an Italian dessert, that dates back to a 15th century cookbook, it told me. Almost all of the pictures show it to be topped with a lattice design, so I assume this is the going technique.

Facts established, the big question remained: why is it helping Longo Borghini win bike races? 

I turned to Lidl-Trek’s press officer, Amy Cameron, for the answers. "It is a winning treat," she explained, one made by the team's chef, Mirko Sut. I asked if she has ever tried it. "Have I tried it?" she scoffed. "I’ve been eating Mirko's crostata longer than Elisa when me and him were on BMC together! It is delicious." 

Suddenly, everything made sense. The dessert isn't a performance nutrition fad. No, it's a positive reinforcement ruse, a Pavlovian trick as old as time. Win race, get crostata. Longo Borghini had cracked the system.

I wanted to know more. Is there a secret ingredient? Does Sut do something special to the crostata? "He just perfected it, I believe," said Cameron. "He makes this incredible pistachio one that is unreal." The recipe, however, is top secret. 

So there you go. For anyone wondering how SD Worx-Protime could be beaten this year, the answer wasn’t race tactics or newfangled tech, it was the lure of a simple, Italian dessert. Crostata, Lidl-Trek’s secret weapon. 

Elsewhere on social media, Mathieu van der Poel lifts The Rock, Kristen Faulkner shows off her book collection, and Geraint Thomas sits through a lonely breakfast. 

1. Who needs energy gels when you've got crostata?

2. I'm sure it tastes better than it looks

3. Here's another helping of Longo Borghini for you. She's right, Lidl-Trek did her dirty with the winner's photo

4. Mathieu van der Poel didn't just win any old rock at Paris-Roubaix

5. One for the stats fans...

6. We'd all be this cool, breathing through our noses, after soloing 60km across the cobbles, right? 

7. It turns out I've been putting my mitts on wrong this whole time

8. If you liked seeing Adam Yates' dog, Zoe, in a yellow jersey last July, you'll love this gallery

9. It's a wonder how Kristen Faulkner finds time to race her bike around all her reading

10. Poor Geraint, alone, with nothing but a bottle of Actimel to talk to

11. To be fair to the drone, I wouldn't want to follow Tom Pidcock downhill either

12. Don't forget to lift your front wheels to the flowers this spring

13. Here's how sisters Elynor and Zoe Bäckstedt spent the 20th anniversary of their father's Paris-Roubaix victory

14. And finally, my personal favourite this week, the sight of Jay Vine giving a thumbs up after his terrible crash at Itzulia Basque Country. Heal up, Jay!

Lidl-Trek’s Lizzie Deignan is set for a spell out of action after suffering a broken arm at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, and has said she will "change direction" when she bounces back.

Deignan explained on Instagram on Monday that the fracture marked her first of her entire professional career. 

"So happy to be a part of Lidl-Trek’s brilliant classics campaign so far," she wrote. "Unfortunately that came crashing down yesterday when I broke my arm. I am lucky enough to say that after 15 years pro this is my first broken bone. 

"It feels like I’ve been swimming against the tide recently so I will first take time to recover and then change my direction. Thanks for so many lovely concerned messages."  

Lidl-Trek shared a brief update regarding the specifics of Deignan’s injury on Sunday afternoon which explained the full details of the fracture that she suffered. 

"Lizzie Deignan’s tenth participation in the Ronde van Vlaanderen ended with a DNF and, unfortunately, in the worst possible way," the team wrote. "Involved in a crash in the early part of the race, with 145 km to go, Lizzie Deignan was forced to withdraw the race and taken to the nearby hospital for checks. 

"Unfortunately, x-ray showed the fracture of the radial head of the right arm."

Lidl-Trek went on to win the Tour of Flanders through Elisa Longo Borghini. The win was the Italian's second at the Belgian Monument, and puts her in a select club with Deignan as winners of both Paris-Roubaix Femmes and De Ronde.

Deignan’s fracture will keep her out of Roubaix this Sunday - a race she famously won before - but the exact impact the injury will have on her schedule is currently unknown. 

SD Worx-Protime’s Marlen Reusser was involved in the same crash and is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday to address some of the seroious injuries she suffered. 

The Swiss rider suffered a fractured jaw and broken teeth in the incident as well as other injuries. 

"The current Swiss champion underwent further examinations today at the Inselspital in Bern with the following diagnosis: in addition to the jaw, both ear canals and eight teeth are also broken. The 32-year-old will undergo surgery tomorrow, Tuesday, and will have to wear splints for around four weeks," read a statement from her team, SD Worx-Protime.

Reusser shared several images on Instagram of herself in hospital after the incident in which a deep cut was visible on her chin. 

"I’m doing well and I’m in good spirits that I’ll soon be completely healthy again," she said. 

The talk is big, the grandest it could be, but are Lidl-Trek walking the walk? Are the American team really set on becoming the undisputed best men’s and women’s team in cycling?

Last June, European supermarket giant Lidl invested a significant amount into the team, increasing their annual budget to around €40m - placing them among the richest outfits in the sport.

Revolutions don’t happen overnight, but the plan from the outset was unambiguous: within five years, they would become the men’s and women’s number one ranked UCI team, and win a men’s Grand Tour. 

If the task for the men’s team is daunting - not least because of the presence of UAE-Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike, but also because of the team’s current forte being the Classics - then the challenge for the women’s outfit is also complicated, with the all-conquering SD Worx in their way.

2024 has started positively, though, with 19 victories shared between the teams, and Mads Pedersen, new signing Jonathan Milan, Elisa Balsamo and Ellen van Dijk all regularly winning.

So what have been the changes behind the scenes in the nine months since Lidl came on board? “We’ve been able to sign a lot of good riders, leaders like Tao [Geoghegan Hart] and [Jonathan] Milan, as well as other strong guys, so that’s an improvement,” says Bauke Mollema, a rider with the team since 2015.

“There’s also been an investment in more coaches, data analysts, and nutritionists, a desire to try to improve everything because those marginal gains are so important these days.”

Previously, the team’s coaching department did all the data analysis, but now they have specialists in place who have been pivotal in more riders spending more time in the wind tunnel and working on aerodynamic improvements on the track. There has also been a recruitment drive in other departments, including two new chefs, as well as a new 14-rider men’s development team.

“The team’s goals are bigger, and what the team has done really well is to get everybody on board with that goal really quickly,” says Amy Cameron, a team press officer. “You can feel like everyone is wanting and trying to step up.”

Despite the new flow of cash, developing meaningfully but steadily is the plan, according to lead sports director Steven De Jongh. “We have more budget now so it makes things easier,” he says.

“But what’s been good is that we’ve kept our DNA. Ok, we’ve hired a lot of people, but at the winter training camps it still felt like it was us, Trek, and that’s a good sign.

“You can choose to grow explosively, hire people straight away, but it’s better to do it step by step. The culture we have is really good and we should take care of that. We have this sponsorship now and we have time to grow towards the goals in a good way. We’re now in the transition of becoming a GC team - it’s just a matter of time.”

Key to making the partnership work is a close working relationship between Lidl and the team, and Cameron says that “there is a constant back and forth between Lidl, Trek and the team. It’s a real partnership, everyone is fully invested."

She adds: "We did store visits before the team’s launch in Bilbao, and again before the Vuelta last year. At Milan-Sanremo, in La Gazzetta dello Sport, there were Lidl adverts with our riders in their stores, so you can see that we’re part of their marketing as well. We are a tool for them just as much as they are a tool for us.”

The team have high hopes in the current spring Classics, principally through Pedersen, Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini, but once full attention turns back to multi-day racing, there is one clear mission. “To fight with the biggest teams in the world,” says Mollema. “Visma and UAE are ahead right now, but our goal is to be the number one team in the coming years.”

Opening Weekend brought some enthralling action, as it always does, to kickstart the Classics season, and it was once again dominated by team Visma-Lease a Bike. 

In a gripping two days of racing, Jan Tratnik was a semi-surprise winner in the men's edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Slovenian saved the day for the Dutch super team with a late attack to secure the win in the closing stages of the race. 

Tratnik's teammate, Wout van Aert, took the honours at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday after outsprinting fellow Belgian Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) to the line. 

Arguably, the biggest result of them all was Marianne Vos' return to winning ways in the women's edition of Omloop. The Dutchwoman secured her 259th career victory on the cobbles, her first win since having surgery on the iliac artery in her left leg last year. 

Here are five things we learned from Opening Weekend before the Classics season continues at Strade Bianche on Saturday. 

Elisa Longo Borghini has the legs for Classics success

The Italian national champion was one of the stand out performers in the women’s edition of Omloop and rightfully managed to secure a spot on the podium. 

As the race reached its finale, it was clear that Longo Borghini had the legs when it mattered and could still look to dictate the way the conclusion would go with some aggressive, attacking riding. Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, as an attack from the Lidl-Trek rider was thwarted by a group containing eventual winner, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), who reeled her back in as the finish line approached. 

But the Italian still had enough in the tank to secure third in the final sprint. Based on this impressive start, Longo Borghini could be set to return to the top spot of the podium in a major Classic in the weeks ahead. 

Matteo Jorgenson has added further Classics firepower to Visma-Lease a bike 

If his performance on Saturday is anything to go on, Matteo Jorgenson could be set to become the next Christophe Laporte at Visma-Lease a Bike and continue the team’s run of astute signings.

The American was outstanding for Visma, regularly at the sharp end of the race, and he completely decimated the lead group on the climbs in the latter half of the cobbled Classic, particularly the Wolvenberg. 

At one stage, he even looked like he might solo to victory himself were it not for the high class chasing group breathing down his neck. 

Laporte has had a huge impact since he joined Richard Plugge’s team, winning a Tour de France stage as well as Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen last year. If Jorgenson continues on with the form he displayed on Saturday, he could be in for his best year yet. 

Soudal Quick-Step still some way off Classics-winning form 

Soudal Quick-Step were once a force to be reckoned with in the Belgian Classics, although based on Saturday, the team still appears to be some way off winning form. 

After Jumbo-Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike) decimated the field to win both races on Opening Weekend last year, a change was very much afoot in the Classics hierarchy. Based on Saturday in particular, Quick-Step seem to still be nowhere near returning to their former dominant selves. 

The best placed rider for the team was Yves Lampaert who came in 21st. Despite Patrick Lefevere’s latest outburst, much of the team’s hopes were placed on the shoulders of Julian Alaphilippe prior to the action getting underway. 

However, Alaphilippe was involved in a crash and didn’t finish the race. 

The team vastly improved on Sunday with newbie Luke Lamperti taking seventh at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but will it be down the Remco Evenepoel once again to save the team’s spring at Liège–Bastogne–Liège? 

Tom Pidcock on the right path to winning form  

Tom Pidcock was optimistic after his Opening Weekend performance, and rightly so. 

The British star was in the thick of the action for the majority of the day at Omloop but, in his own words, “ran out of legs” in the final moments. Nevertheless, there were some huge positives to take away from the weekend as Pidcock built for an attempt at defending his Strade Bianche title.

“You can’t be surprised at anything nowadays,” Pidcock said as he reflected on the race. “But when the race split at the start, you kind of hope in your mind that that's it, right there is going to be 25 guys racing the final.

“But then you come to the finish and there are two guys away that you hadn't seen all day. It's mad how it can play out and you don't give up in these races.”

“It was of course a hard day and the wind played a big part,” he added. “The race was open after 30-40 km. We spent the day in the wind. 

“I ran out of legs a little at the finish. I think I'm quite happy in the front and we did a good job as a team at the start of the race and got ourselves in the right position with four in front. We can build on that.”

SD Worx are beatable 

After their incredible dominance in the Classics last year, it was understandable that many envisaged SD Worx-Protime dominating Opening Weekend. 

The strength in depth, in terms of potential race winners, at the Dutch team is formidable and equal to that at Visma-Lease a Bike in the men’s WorldTour.

Last year, Kopecky got the ball rolling for her hugely successful year with victory at Omloop. But this time out, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) had other ideas. 

No matter how much world champion Lotte Kopecky tried to get away in the closing stages of the action, her rivals were alert to it and managed to bring her back in each time. Expect SD Worx to come out swinging at Strade Bianche on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways, but it appears that teams are ready to challenge the Dutch squad. Let's hope it continues.

Tao Geoghegan Hart is heading into the "unknown", as he prepares to make his Lidl-Trek debut at the Volta ao Algarve this week, his first race in nine months after crashing out of the Giro d'Italia.

The British rider was left with a broken femur after the serious crash in May 2023, which meant he had to complete months of rehabilitation. In the off-season, he moved to Lidl-Trek from from Ineos Grenadiers. 

The 28-year-old will start the Portuguese stage race on Wednesday, marking a huge step forward in his comeback. Geoghegan Hart will lead the line for Lidl-Trek this summer at the Tour de France, sharing leadership responsibilities with Mads Pedersen. 

Ahead of the race in the Algarve, Geoghegan Hart said that he was relishing being back in a team environment after spending months rebuilding his strength post injury, in an interview released by the team.

“It’s been super exciting for me to be back in the environment of a team full stop having been half a year away from cycling, a life I’ve been so accustomed to in the last 15 years," he said. "I missed that dynamic of being in the group and with your teammates.”

Geoghegan Hart inked a three-year deal at Lidl-Trek after seven years with Ineos during which time he won the Giro d’Italia in 2020 and the Tour of the Alps last year. He explained that he was looking forward to racing alongside new faces, as well as more familiar ones, in Lidl-Trek colours this year. 

“I love meeting new people and understanding more about their culture and everyone's journey that has got them to this point,” he said. “The nice thing in cycling is there's a lot of people that I've come across at different moments throughout my career and you get to know them better and I look forward to racing with them. 

“For me, it is like really a sense of excitement after that period of dreaming to be back in this scenario, to now be here and appreciate that."

Geoghegan Hart was in strong form prior to his crash at the Giro last year, which ended his season. His comeback race and season comes with little expectation or pressure from the team, but instead a step on the way back to full fitness and form.

“I think having the ability at the end of the season to look back and be really proud of the adventure of coming into a new team and a new environment,” he said when describing what a successful 2024 would look like.

“Having some performances where I can say that everything really clicked that day and all the work I did, whether that be through the rehab or through the winter on the bike, all came together and was shown in that moment.”

“Being able to look back and really feel proud that that whole journey culminated in those performances is key,” he added. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work still and that's, you know, something that is always an unknown but I'm excited for that.

“That’s kind of the adventure of any season, you start again from zero. You pin the number on the back of your jersey, and you don't know what that season's going to hold.

"You know in cycling we go from one place to the next, one race to the next but it's just about feeling the momentum and the progress and absorbing the ups and downs along the way.”

Former Lidl-Trek and Jumbo-Visma rider Antwan Tolhoek has returned an “adverse” anti-doping test for steroids, the UCI has said. 

The 29-year-old Dutchman, who began this season with Portuguese Continental team Sabgal/Anicolor, provided the sample during an out-of-competition control in November 2023, when he was under contract with Lidl-Trek. 

Tolhoek has been provisionally suspended from racing, and his contract has been terminated by his team. 

In a statement shared on Wednesday afternoon, the UCI wrote: “The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) informs that Dutch rider Antwan Tolhoek has been notified of an Adverse Analytical Finding for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)1 in a sample collected during an out-of-competition control on 27 November 2023.” 

Anabolic steroids are the first substance listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Prohibited List, and are outlawed both in and out of competition. They are performance-enhancing drugs that are often associated with muscle-building, allowing riders to train harder and for longer.

Their use can cause severe bodily damage, and lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. 

Examples of anabolic steroids used by athletes include testosterone and nandrolone. The UCI, however, did not cite which substance was found to be present in Tolhoek’s sample. 

The Dutch rider now has the right to request the analysis of a second, B sample taken during the same control by the International Testing Agency (ITA), the independent entity that oversees anti-doping in elite cycling. 

If the B sample confirms the A sample, or if Tolhoek choses not to request it, he could face disciplinary proceedings. 

In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, Tolhoek's team, Sabgal/Anicolor, said his contract has been terminated with immediate effect. 

"Clube Desportivo Fullracing has taken the decision to immediately terminate the Dutch athlete's contract and cancel all of his duties within the club from this moment on," the team said. 

"It was only today that Clube Desportivo Fullracing was informed of the result of this adverse control, which relates to the 2023 season. The athlete's registration was made without the club being aware of the situation."

Cycling Weekly has contacted Lidl-Trek, the team the Dutchman rode for at the time of the test. The UCI has said it will not comment further while the investigation is open. 

In 2017, Tolhoek received a two-month suspension from his then squad LottoNL-Jumbo after he took sleeping medication on a training camp, outside of the team’s supervision. 

News of his adverse anti-doping result comes in the same week that Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider Franck Bonnamour was provisionally suspended for “unexplained abnormalities” in his biological passport. 

Tolhoek, stage winner at the Tour de Suisse in 2019, was scheduled to compete in the one-day Figueira Champions Classic in Portugal on Saturday. 

This article is part of Cycling Weekly's 'the ride that changed me' series. Our writers hear from a range of professional and ex-professional cyclists about that one day on the bike that changed the trajectory of their career for good. 

Elisa Longo Borghini is one of a select few riders that can count a huge, Paris-Roubaix cobblestone trophy amongst her collection. Only some of the very best Classics riders - Eddy Merckx, Lizzie Deignan, Peter Sagan and Tom Boonen to name a few - can do likewise. 

As the second-ever winner of the women’s edition of the iconic cobbled classic, you would be forgiven for assuming that Longo Borghini would have highlighted her Roubaix win as that ride that changed her. The reality is that the big turning point in her career came far earlier than that fabled day in Belgium. 

The Italian Classics star tells Cycling Weekly that one of the biggest turning points in her career came on a rain swept afternoon in Varese, northern Italy. 

“So the ride that changed me was [Trofeo Alfreda] Binda 2013 which sounds like ages ago,” she says. “Actually, it is a while ago now and I won that race.”

“It was a very cold, rainy and grey day,” she adds. “It was my first World Cup - because at the time there were still World Cups - victory in all my career and the second victory in my life as an elite rider. 

“I was just delighted to win the race, I was really not expecting it because I was coming from 10 days where I was doing only easy rides because I had a problem with my left calf muscle. I just went into the race with no pressure and no thoughts [of winning].”

Riding for the Hitec Products UCK team at the time, Longo Borghini came up against several riders that she would eventually call teammates later on in her career at Trek-Segafredo (now Lidl-Trek). 

She recalls that when it came to crunch time and she decided to launch her race winning move, only one of those future teammates could follow. 

“I remember attacking on a descent because it was really wet,” she says. “I was like, 'okay, I'll try to make my attack here' and then I went away and only Spratty [Amanda Spratt] could follow me. 

"We stayed together for a little bit and then I dropped her on the last climb. When I crossed the line, I was really freezing but I was not feeling anything at the time because it was so much to enjoy.”

Nowadays when crossing the line first, Longo Borghini, like most other riders, would no doubt be seen sipping a recovery drink as she makes her way to the podium. But not back then. 

After such a foul day on the bike in bleak conditions, there was only one thing for it. Descend on the nearest restaurant to enjoy good food and drink and celebrate a momentous victory with friends and family. 

“After that I remember that we went to a restaurant and we ate two pizzas. I mean, I ate two pizzas,” she says with a laugh. “It was because I was so hungry and my parents were so happy and they were like 'okay, we just eat whatever we want' and I remember eating two pizzas and still being hungry because of the ride.

“So yeah, the reason why I chose this race is because I was really young at the time and I had no knowledge of where I could stand in the elite peloton. 

"There I realised that I could actually be quite alright and that my dreams could become true. And here I am now talking about it.”

Join us for the next instalment of 'the ride that changed me' in a fortnight's time.

There is no easy route to the top of world cycling. Izzy Sharp knows that. So when, at the age of 17, the Brit was entering her second and final year in the junior ranks, she decided to make her dreams come to her. 

A powerful rouleur and specialist against the clock, the teenager came through the same British Cycling cohort as Zoe Bäckstedt, who joined EF Education-TIBCO-SVB as a stagiaire in August 2022. 

Sharp wanted a pro contract, too. So she picked up her phone, and started reaching out. 

“In December [2022] and January [2023], I decided to contact teams myself and try and do it myself,” she tells Cycling Weekly. “My agent who I’m with now spoke to me back then about wanting to work with me, but my gut just didn’t tell me it was the right time yet.” 

Today, the 18-year-old is gearing up for her first races with Lidl-Trek, one of the top women’s WorldTour teams, with whom she has signed a three-year contract. Negotiations started with a message to one of the team’s most decorated riders. 

“I actually contacted Elisa Longo Borghini because I couldn’t find a contact for Ina[-Yoko Teutenberg, Lidl-Trek sports director], and she replied in like 10 minutes and gave me the email. It’s kind of a big thanks to her that I managed to make the contact.” 

Getting a contract, though, would not be that simple. 

“Ina just said it was way too early to give me anything more than interest,” Sharp recalls. “It was January, you know, the season hadn’t begun.” 

The teenager set out to impress when racing eventually came around in March.

She finished fourth in her first event, won her second at Gent-Wevelgem Juniors, before taking victory in the opening time trial at Omloop van Borsele, a three-stage race she went on to win. 

At the side of the road, watching from the other side of the barriers at Borsele, was three-time time trial world champion and Lidl-Trek rider Ellen van Dijk. 

“The team sent her as like a scout for riders,” Sharp says. “She ended up speaking to me and was asking me questions. 

“Then my agent happened to be at the race and it all started falling into place. Ellen spoke to him, and he ended up getting in contact with Ina. As soon as they showed interest, I said to my agent, ‘That’s the team I want to go with.’ There was no question about it. And that was that.” 

This year, Sharp is one of five 18-year-olds at Lidl-Trek. Van Dijk, she says, has joked to her about the age gap between the two of them. “She was like, ‘When I was your age, you were born,’” the teenager laughs. 

"If four years ago someone told me what I’d be doing now, I wouldn’t believe it. But because It’s happening, you just kind of keep going with the flow.” 

Although she is yet to race with her new teammates, Sharp has spent time with them on a trip to Chicago, USA, and a training camp in Spain. One rider she has clicked with is former world champion Lizzie Deignan. 

“I call her a tech dino[saur],” the 18-year-old laughs. “She’s so useless, honestly. You see her Instagram and you can just tell it’s done by other people.

“I get on with her really well. To be honest, I got home [from the training camp] and my parents were like, ‘Who do you get on with the most?’ And I couldn’t really say. It’s a nice environment where you’re just all one big group. I keep referring to it as like a family. That’s what it feels like.” 

Now, Sharp is less than a month away from her first pro race, the WorldTour-ranked UAE Tour. Coincidentally, last year’s edition was won by Longo Borghini, the rider who helped kickstart the teenager’s path into the squad.  

“It’s pretty mega,” Sharp says of the prospect of racing alongside the Italian. In fact, the whole experience, she says, is “a little bit surreal”.

“It’s the little things, that are so normal for some, but to me are so, so cool,” she says, “like it has my name on my kit and my bag. 

“It makes you feel, I guess, professional, but I still don’t like people calling me it yet. My mum made a joke the other day like, ‘Oh you’re a professional cyclist now,’ and I was like, ‘Don’t say it yet!’” Sharp smiles. “I still feel like little old me from the New Forest.” 

Tao Geoghegan Hart is set to target general classification at the Tour de France in 2024 for his new team, Lidl-Trek, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Londoner has joined the American squad from Ineos Grenadiers, with whom he turned professional in 2017, and will head to the Tour as a leader for the first time, alongside Mads Pedersen, who will target stage wins.

The 28-year-old won the Giro d'Italia in 2020, and after a quiet couple of years, he looked back at his best this year, winning the Tour of the Alps, and coming third at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

He looked good and was riding high on general classification at the Giro d'Italia before he fractured his hip in a crash; his teammate Geraint Thomas would go onto finish second.

“It felt like the race hadn’t really begun and I was holding back,” he said in an interview with The Times last month. “It was what we’d spoken about since January: the only thing that was going to matter was the last three stages and that it would flip on its head, which transpired... That’s probably the only regret I have. I just didn’t feel like I’d really shown what was in the tank.”

He said he lost two to three units of blood in internal bleeding following the accident, and spent a long time recovering at a specialist centre in Amsterdam. 

Geoghegan Hart will make his debut in Lidl-Trek colours at the Volta ao Algarve, if everything goes to plan, after his lengthy recovering from his serious accident. 

He also took to social media on Tuesday to say goodbye to the team he has spent seven years with, noting that thanks to his accident he hasn't seen most riders or staff since March or April. He thanked them for their support, with Ineos and Lidl-Trek both providing resources towards his recovery.

"There are no perfect goodbyes in cycling," Geoghegan Hart wrote on Twitter and Instagram. "Often there are no goodbyes at all. Most of the Ineos Grenadiers riders and staff I haven't seen since March or April. In professional cycling we aren't afforded a moment to say thank you or to look back on what we've done. That's just the sport, and perhaps a good metaphor for life. People come and go. They are taken from us unexpectedly every day. 

"We picture a perfect way to say goodbye, but it rarely goes quite as we expect. A rider's time in a team seems to almost fizzle out in the winter months, overshadowed by news of new adventures and the future. 

"The world keeps moving forward. In cycling there isn't a clear moment to step from the past to the future, it's a gradual and mostly unseen change, that has been a new experience for me. Midnight on New Year's Eve, when our contracts change, is hardly the moment to think about starting a new job. I'm jealous of the way in which other professional athletes can say goodbye to their teams and sponsors before they move on to their next chapter."

"And so since no perfect time exists, it's time today to say goodbye to the team that's been my home since 2016," he continued. "It's a goodbye with a h(e)art full of amazing memories, knowledge and rich experiences. Having had the chance to work with so many great people has been a privilege. 

"I'm especially grateful for the organisation's support during my extensive rehab this year. If I look back at all these photos, the journey from my first training camp with the team in 2014 has been incredibly fulfilling. Thankyou to all the equipment partners and fans too. 

"I couldn't be more grateful for all your support. It makes the difference when searching for a raison d'etre in this tricky world of 2023. So arrivederci to all my Ineos Grenadiers colleagues of this season and those of the last years too. Thankyou for all your hard work and companionship, I'll see you at the races soon."

Lidl-Trek also announced that Giulio Ciccone would lead the squad at the Giro, alongside Andrea Bagioli, Jonathan Milan and Jasper Stuyven, while Mattias Skjelmose would be the GC leader at the Vuelta a España.

Milan, Pedersen and Stuyven will form the core of Lidl-Trek's men's Classics squad, while Lizzie Deignan, Elisa Longo Borghini and Elisa Balsamo will do the same for the women's team.

Deignan, Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini are all expected to ride the Vuelta Feminina, Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes, with Balsamo joining at the Giro and Tour.

Lidl-Trek have won the battle for one of the most promising young male riders in the world, Albert Withen Philipsen, with the Dane joining the squad in 2025 after completing his final year as a junior.

The 17-year-old is junior world champion in both the road race and XCO mountain bike, and as a result was being chased by at least ten WorldTour teams, which supposedly included Jumbo-Visma, Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates, according to reports.

However, Lidl-Trek were successful in securing the sought-after junior, who will remain with his current junior team, Tscherning Cycling Academy, whilst he will be supported by Trek in off-road disciplines from 1 January. He will race and train on Trek bikes, and has signed a four-year contract.

Philipsen is also European champion in the individual time trial and XCO MTB, showing the breadth of his talents. It was his performances in Glasgow that caught the eye however, as he won the junior road race by 1-19 over his nearest competitor, a solo win that echoed Remco Evenepoel's at Innsbruck in 2018.

Lidl-Trek have a sister MTB team, Trek Factory Racing, which surely helped secure his signature, as well as new investment thanks to Lidl coming on board as partners. The fact that other Danes already ride for the team also likely helped. The road team have also launched a development squad for next year, which includes three more Danes.

"The important thing for us is not how big the money is, but that the team is the right project for Albert," his agent, Alex Carera, said earlier this year.

“For me Lidl-Trek was just the best match," Philipsen said in the Lidl-Trek press release. "My most important criteria when I had to choose my upcoming team, was to find the one that could best help me develop as a rider. 

"I could really feel from the start how enthusiastic and passionate the people working in the team were, while still focused on not rushing the process and not putting too much pressure on my shoulders. 

"With my multi-discipline approach it was also important for me to find a team that not only had the best setup on the road, but also on the MTB and cyclocross, and I really feel that Lidl-Trek does that."

While he is a multi-discipline star, his focus in the future is likely to be road.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone on the team," he continued. "As a Dane I’m particularly excited to join Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose. In the next few years my plan is to continue to mix the different disciplines, but primarily focus on the road. 

"I want to keep focusing on the process, and work on some of my weak points. For me that will be my general experience and tactical skills. I’m still trying to figure out which races I will focus on in the future. Right now I’m a bit ‘in between’ as a rider type, so I hope to become the best all-rounder in the world.”

Lidl-Trek's boss, Luca Guercilena, was full of praise for his team's recruitment staff for getting the contract over the line, especially in such a battle for Philipsen.

“Attracting Albert to join Lidl-Trek when so many teams were chasing his signature is a testament to the structure we have built here," he said. "A special thanks must go to Markel Irizar [talent scout] and Josu Larrazabal [Head of Performance], whose passion for working with young riders has made Lidl-Trek a great prospect for developing the very best talent.

“Our approach with Albert remains the same as it is with all young riders: to give him all the support we can whilst we let him develop naturally, not to rush him. When he joins the team, we plan to set Albert a calendar that incorporates his various disciplines, but with a focus on road racing. 

"On the road he will split his time between racing with our development team and the WorldTour team to ensure a balanced progression. Personally, I can’t wait to see Albert put on the Lidl-Trek jersey and begin his professional career with us!”

The stresses of Grand Tour racing can prove too much for some bike riders - but not Lidl-Trek's Juanpe López.

Racing his fourth successive Vuelta a España, the Spaniard is boosting his popularity in his home country by exploiting his team's recent sponsorship by the supermarket chain Lidl.

In the first week of the race, López, sporting a permanent cheesy grin, has been in mischievous form, clad in his range of Lidl merchandise. 

Let's recap what has been a rather fun, eventful and wild week for the Andalusian. 

Swimming pool trolling

López's Vuelta adventure got underway with a spot of mischief. He and his seven teammates at the race visited a local Lidl store in Barcelona for some promotional and marketing videos.

After the customary photos of trollies loaded up with fruit and veg, López was then caught on camera returning from the middle aisle with an inflatable swimming pool.

A team insider revealed to Cycling Weekly that López quipped he was buying it for Jumbo-Visma, a reference to the 2019 Vuelta when half of the Dutch team slipped on a wet road during the race's opening team time trial. Where had the water come from? A child's swimming pool that had burst.

Even if López was really planning a sabotage act (he assured us he was not), the roads on the streets of Barcelona were still soaked come Saturday evening.

T-shirt memento

Just before the race started in Barcelona, the team's eight riders were presented with a special t-shirt.

It read: "I got selected for La Vuelta and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

Our man López is hiding away at the back of this team photo on the bus, and while he might not look that entertained (although he is far happier than the straight-faced Kenny Elissonde [right, second back]), he has since taken a real shine to the €14 t-shirt.

For Cycling Weekly understands that López has been wearing the t-shirt, unprompted and voluntarily, at the breakfast and dinner table.

He was then spotted with the t-shirt after a recent stage finish - a clear sign that it has become his first item of clothing after his post-race shower.

New signing for FC Andorra

Possibly the peloton's biggest football fan - he is a Real Betis supporter, one of Spain's top clubs - López announced before the start of stage four that he was about to begin his second sporting career.

López, who played football as a youngster and attends Betis games whenever he is home, was given an FC Andorra t-shirt with his name and number 9 printed on it. He then signed-on and went to the team presentation with his new jersey.

In a subsequent interview with Eurosport Spain, he revealed that he had indeed signed a contract to play as a striker for the team from 2024. It is not yet known if he has informed his current employers who last year signed him to a contract until the end of 2025.

(NB: López was joking, but shhh 🤫) 

Lidl merch

With the race back in Spain after its 24 hour excursion in Andorra, and the wet weather finally being replaced by sunny days, López was then spotted at the starts of stages four, five and seven wearing his Lidl flip-flops, cotton socks with the supermarket's enlarged logo on both sides - and even a Lidl bum bag before the sixth stage. 

"Everything I have is from Lidl," he said matter-of-factly, being the good representative Lidl surely demanded when penning their multi-million euro deal that has turned the team into one of the peloton's new money bags. "The only thing I still need is the swim shorts to go to the beach. I hope they arrive in the next few days. I already have a Lidl towel but I really need the shorts for when I go to the beach."

The flip-flops, or chanclas, have become his favourite item. "My home is my suitcase, and I always put my chanclas in my suitcase," he confirmed.

As for the socks. "It's a good story. They are from Elke Weylandt's son [the team's operation manager]. I gave some of my kit to his son, and his son gave me the socks. He was so happy, and I am so happy with my socks."

When asked if he was actually trying to be a model for the supermarket, he smiled and said: "Yeah, you know it. I want every Lidl shop in Spain to have a picture of me in my Lidl shoes, socks, shorts, everything."

There is another item of Lidl merch that López could be rocking - but so far has refused: a Lidl bucket hat. "No, no, no," he said when asked why he hasn't donned the hat yet. "I have hair and I want to show my hair off."

Team presentation hill-climber

López definitely doesn't mind a little showing off.

Ahead of stage five, he was photographed returning from the team presentation racing a makeshift hill climb, in his Lidl socks, his Lidl flop-flops and his short cut hair flapping in the wind.

On the eve of the race's second weekend, López - who wore the maglia rosa for 10 days at the 2022 Giro d'Italia - is 19th on GC, 51 seconds adrift of defending champion Remco Evenepoel.

He is riding a relaxed approach to the general classification, seeing how far he can get and assessing his overall ambitions as the race progresses.

It is unclear, even to him, how the following two weeks will play out, but what is for sure is that he is the rider having the most fun at the 2023 Vuelta a España.

A job as a Lidl España modelo is surely just around the corner. We just hope he can combine it with his cycling and football career. 

Tao Geoghegan Hart is to ride for Lidl-Trek from 2024, leaving Ineos Grenadiers after seven years with the British team.

The long-rumoured transfer was confirmed by his new squad on Thursday morning, which sees the Londoner join Lidl-Trek on a three-year contract.

The 28-year-old is currently out of action with a fractured hip which he suffered during the Giro d'Italia while he was riding high on general classification. 

He joined then Team Sky in 2017 from Axeon Hagens Berman, netting his first win at the Tour of the Alps in 2019.

Geoghegan Hart won the Giro in 2020, pipping Jai Hindley to the maglia rosa. After a quiet couple of years, he looked back at his best in 2023, winning the Tour of the Alps, and coming third at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

According to the Trek press release, he has been undergoing "intensive rehabilitation" at a clinic in Amsterdam to "regain his strength and mobility day by day".

Geoghegan Hart said he was "looking forward to this new chapter", and that he still has "plenty of growth as an athlete" to come.

"After seven years within the same organisation there are many different emotions to approaching a new challenge in 2024," he said in the Lidl-Trek statement. "However, knowing plenty of faces within the Lidl-Trek organisation already, and having had conversations with Luca [Guercilena], Josu [Larrazabal] and Elke [Weylandt] in the past weeks, I am really looking forward to this new chapter in my career come 2024.

"A new challenge is definitely exciting, to encounter different perspectives, athletes and cultures. That is one of my favourite things about cycling; the exploring and learning that we constantly encounter as athletes. 

"With Lidl coming onboard as a new partner of the team, alongside Trek, who have owned the team for a long time now, it felt like a project I really wanted to be a part of at this moment in my career."

"The team has big goals and partners who are willing and able to support those ambitions," he continued. "I believe I still have plenty of growth as an athlete and showed in 2023, up until the injury, what I can do as a leader. I’m incredibly motivated to get back to that feeling and place, and I believe that Lidl-Trek will be a brilliant place for me to do so."

Luca Guercilena, Lidl-Trek's general manager, said: "Tao Geoghegan Hart’s dedication and resilience epitomize the spirit of Lidl-Trek. His journey serves as a testament to the power of determination, and we are excited to welcome him to our team. As Tao embarks on this new adventure, we stand united in our commitment to pushing boundaries, achieving greatness, and creating a legacy of excellence.”

Geoghegan Hart is the second Giro stage winner to sign for Lidl-Trek this week, joining Jonathan Milan. Quinn Simmons, Daan Hoole, Edward Theuns, Alex Kirsch and Otto Vergaerde have all signed contract extensions too.