"I felt like something is missing at Red Bull - BORA...": Key domestique explains decision to switch colors
Cycling
In the 2026 season, Lidl-Trek will welcome many new faces among their ranks, including the big GC talent of Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard has been their stellar signing in the cycling market, although the American team's activity has not stopped there. They have also added Matteo Sobrero, who will arrive to focus on his work as (not only) Ayuso's domestique in Grand Tours.
This is what the rider himself said in an interview for bici.pro. The 28-year-old Italian has switched from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe to Lidl-Trek, but it seems he has not done so with the aim of changing his ambitions.
It's still too early for Sobrero to know his exact role within the structure, although he expects a similar function to the one he already played: an invaluable helper of team's greatest stars with room to shine when the opportunity presents itself. And he doesn't contain his ambitions to only mountain trains, as the whole Lidl-Trek aims to succeed on multiple fronts.
"It's too early to say, but I'll have a role similar to the one I had at Red Bull: domestique in Grand Tours. I could help a rider in the general classification or Nys, Pedersen, Milan... Or also be useful for riders like Ayuso or Ciccone," Sobrero opens.
His response makes two things clear: that Lidl-Trek values his versatility and that he is prepared to integrate into either of the two key blocks, including the one Ayuso would lead in his debut with the U.S. team.
Juan Ayuso will hopefully find a great teammate in Matteo Sobrero
Evenepoel changed his plans
Sobrero also explains that his continuity in Red Bull - BORA was a real possibility, until the arrival of Remco Evenepoel altered the plans:
"The idea of staying was there. But they signed Remco and other projects came up," he admits. That's when Lidl-Trek came knocking on his door. And that call, he admits, had an immediate effect: "I always saw them as a united team. I felt there was harmony."
That harmony, he says, was exactly what had been fading away in the German team: "Every year there were new arrivals and departures, and the team spirit got a bit lost," he sums up.
His first contact with Lidl-Trek was in Germany, at a Lidl site where he carried out medical checks and logistical formalities. More than the practical details, it was the structural ambition of the team that impressed him:
"They don't lack anything. They invest a lot, they are cutting-edge in preparation and nutrition. They have a plan for the future, and it's clear: they want to be the best." He puts them, without hesitation, in the same line of aspiration as UAE Team Emirates or Visma | Lease a Bike in their dominant eras.
But if there is one thing he values above technology and investment, it is the human dimension: "They are a first-class team, but there is also a stronger human relationship. That struck me. I think that was missing last year at Red Bull - BORA".
Sobrero insists that he enjoys working for riders capable of finishing, but recalls that he can also take advantage of his moments. He cites his podium finish at the Tour de Pologne as an example of this and defines himself as a particularly useful profile in one-week tours with time trials, as well as some classics. "They were looking for a profile like mine," he concluded.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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