Bigger budget, more staff, and increased testing: inside Lidl-Trek's transformation into a super team

By 2028 the American team wants to win one of cycling's three Grand Tours, and be firmly among the sport's leading elite

Lidl-Trek
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.