INTERVIEW: "That is what I like to see from my team" - How Andy Schleck is developing the backbone of Lidl-Trek's Tour de France goals
CyclingSunday, 05 July 2026 at 18:54
The 2026 Tour de France is seeing a very strong Lidl-Trek at the Grand Depart in Barcelona. At the team time trial, bad luck struck the team as Mattias Skelmose suffered a puncture; however the Dane was not far from taking the team's first win this Sunday on the Montjuic. New team CEO Andy Schleck has spoken to CyclingUpToDate to discuss what he hopes to bring to the team and how that is already being implemented.
Andy Schleck back at the Tour as a central figure
Long gone are the days that the Luxembourger was on the bike and fighting for the yellow jersey. But he is now a central figure at the German team's ambitions to fight for a strong final result in Paris. For that, they have several weapons - but until then, there are 19 more stages to succeed.
In June, a management overhaul took the cycling world by surprise as Lidl-Trek announced the departure of several central figures in its staff. Amongst them, Luca Guarcilena, who was the team's general manager for many years.
In the center of the changes seen at the top was Andy Schleck, a rider who was part of the Trek team structure in his final pro years, but has made a grand return to the sport. For a few weeks now, he has stepped into the role of team CEO.
But the 41-year old has not had to make many changes to adapt towards his new position. "There's not a lot to adapt to. I mean, I care about the riders, more than I care about myself. I just try to make everything work," he shared to us after the finale of stage 2 in Barcelona.
"The work has been done before and the work that is being done now like giving sport. But I'm not like sport director, not having a director role on the daily, but I've been in the mix in a couple Tours de France. I know a lot of details, maybe not all the details but I try to bring that in as well".
Andy Schleck is at his first Tour de France as Lidl-Trek's CEO
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The decision for Schleck to become the new head of the team did not come by chance. The team has had a massive budget increase since the entry of Lidl as a title sponsor in 2023, and that has allowed to to sign several riders who are deemed to have good chances of fighting for the overall classification at Grand Tours.
The three riders that are, thus far, spearheading these ambitions, are all in Catalunya this week. Derek Gee was a late selection for the Tour after Giulio Ciccone's withdrawal; but the team is specifically putting its attention on both Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose.
Skjelmose has been a more long-term project for the team, a rider who has thrived both in the classics and stage-races. His only big result in a Grand Tour came at the 2024 Vuelta a España where he finished fifth in the overall classification.
But in Ayuso there is a different card to play. The Spaniard was signed this winter from UAE Team Emirates - XRG, in a contract buyout that has been said to include several million euros. Ayuso, 23, is a big investment for the team. And Lidl-Trek is hoping to capitalize on his presence.
Hence, Schleck has also become a guiding figure for the team's GC figures in the run-in to the Tour. Schleck himself is the official winner of the 2010 Tour de France - after Alberto Contador was stripped of it - whilst he has finished second to Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans in the surrounding editions.
Juan Ayuso is the team's main GC hope to finish on the podium of the Tour de France this year
Now, he shares his experience with the team's new leaders: "I wouldn't say it's like a Q&A. But I follow them in the follow-up to the Tour, see where there is an issue and guide them throughout the three weeks".
That is because the team has renewed - and increased - ambitions. "But it's different when you come to the Tour with the ambition of going for the podium, I think that's where my experience is valuable. If you come two days before the start then it's too late but this was actually the whole build-up of the year".
Ayuso has been since the winter the team's card to play at the Tour de France. A crash at Paris-Nice threatened to disrupt his season, but the damages were limited to the spring. At the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes he rode to second place in the overall classification.
And at the Tour's Grand Depart, Ayuso raced to fourth on the opening day. As it stands following stage 2, the team's GC hopes remain just as ambitious.
Mattias Skjelmose showing the team's winning attitude
Ayuso was 12th whilst Skjelmose was fifth on the arrival to Barcelona this afternoon, which saw Isaac del Toro take the stage win. What the results sheet doesn't tell was the ambitious attack from the Dane on the descent from the Montjuic and before the final 600-meter ramp to the line.
Whilst it wasn't successful, it correctly portrayed the team's renewed ambition to chase stage wins, even when the competition involves the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
"We see more and more... Mattias is an important rider for us so we want him to go as well as he can. Juan [Ayuso] needs him for the support, he'll be there..."
"But it's also the build-up to bringing him here ready, also mentally ready. The energy he showed today, that's the winning attitude," Schleck stated. "He did not make it, but it was really good. Unfortunately Del Toro closed it, he won the stage we can't be mad at him obviously but that is what I like to see from my team".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- That's what a good leader do, give back to your mate. Congrats, Tadej and Isaac.
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