CONFIRMED: Thibau Nys set to headline Lidl-Trek’s Giro d'Italia plans as Belgian makes 2026 debut
Cycling
Lidl-Trek have confirmed that Thibau Nys will make his Giro d’Italia debut in 2026, with the Belgian emerging as a central part of the team’s plans for the Italian Grand Tour. Jonathan Milan and Giulio Ciccone are also expected to line up, giving Lidl-Trek a balanced Giro line-up built around stage wins, sprint success and selective GC ambition.
The confirmation came during the team’s media day and was first reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, following what was a decisive road season for Nys in 2025.
A Giro that fits Nys far better than the Tour
Nys’ profile points naturally towards the Giro. His strengths lie in short climbs, aggressive racing and selective finales, rather than long, high-mountain GC efforts.
That was reflected throughout 2025, where he took a standout win at the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain and consistently held his own in hilly WorldTour races. His Tour de France debut later in the season was framed as a learning exercise, giving him experience of three-week racing without results pressure.
The Giro offers something different. It is a race that rewards opportunism, and Lidl-Trek are expected to give Nys the freedom to operate as a stage-hunter, rather than tying him to a single fixed team role.
Milan and Ciccone shape Lidl-Trek’s wider Giro ambitions
The presence of Jonathan Milan underlines clear sprint objectives. The Italian remains one of the most reliable finishers in the peloton, and the Giro is a natural focal point for his season.
Giulio Ciccone provides Lidl-Trek with a GC and climbing reference, particularly on home roads where he has historically delivered some of his strongest performances.
Within that structure, Nys adds flexibility. He is not being positioned as a pure domestique, but as a rider capable of animating stages that sit outside the traditional sprint and GC scripts.
A Giro d'Italia debut awaits Thibau Nys in 2026
A clear next step
A Giro debut in 2026 marks a logical progression for Nys and reflects Lidl-Trek’s growing confidence in his road trajectory. Rather than bringing him to a Grand Tour purely for experience, the team appear ready to race with him, not just around him.
For Lidl-Trek, the combination of Milan, Ciccone and Nys points to a Giro campaign built on multiple avenues for success, with attacking ambition firmly at its core.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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