Lidl-Trek's new teenage sensation has huge goals for the future - Sends Tadej Pogacar warning amid ambitious plans
Cycling
Héctor Álvarez is already setting his sights on the biggest stages in professional cycling. The European under-23 champion will begin his first WorldTour season with Lidl-Trek in 2027. He wants to learn from the best, support the team’s leaders and start carving out his own path to professional victories. Among his biggest ambitions are three of the calendar’s most prestigious Monuments: Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The Spaniard spoke to MARCA at the Memorial Clavero after ending his season with victory at Paris-Tours U23. The result gave him the perfect start in his European champion’s jersey and capped a year of progress. Now he aims to carry some of that form into the professional ranks, while recognising that adapting to the new level will be essential.
Moving up to the WorldTour marks a major change for Álvarez, who joins a team packed with top-level riders and big ambitions. Although he makes no secret of his desire to win a professional race in 2027, he knows his first task will be to gain experience in the biggest races and support his key teammates.
“I’d like to win a professional race,” he says of his goals for next season. It is a clear ambition, but one that can sit alongside the caution required in his first season at the highest level. The Spaniard knows he must learn to handle different race situations and adapt to a much more demanding calendar.
“It’s a season in which I have to learn a lot: how to race the big events, like the Monuments, and how to help the leaders,” he explains. Álvarez will have experienced riders around him in the races that appeal most, including Filippo Ganna and Mads Pedersen, two riders whose level he hopes to approach.
Sharing a team with riders of that calibre offers him a chance to improve his race reading and his ability to compete in the toughest events. Álvarez is not joining Lidl-Trek under pressure to take on leadership duties straight away. Instead, he intends to seize every opportunity to develop within one of the peloton’s strongest teams.
Héctor Álvarez, Lidl-Trek’s rising star.
San Remo, Flanders and Roubaix among his biggest goals
The Classics are the races that most excite Héctor Álvarez. The European under-23 champion already has several events in mind for his first professional season, although his participation will depend on Lidl-Trek’s final plans.
“Opening Weekend, and I’d like to ride San Remo, Flanders and Roubaix,” he says when asked about his preferred 2027 schedule.
The list features some of the most iconic races in international cycling. Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix each present a different challenge, but all demand endurance, positioning, tactical nous and experience. Álvarez hopes to start building those qualities in his first WorldTour season.
He wants to gain experience in the races that could shape his future as soon as possible. However, he still needs to find out which schedule the team has planned for him and what opportunities he will have to race alongside its leading riders.
Grand Tours, by contrast, do not appear to be part of his immediate plans. “We discussed it at the training camp and, as things stand, I won’t ride any,” he explains. His professional debut will focus on continued development, getting used to the demands of the calendar and finding his place in a team with plenty of options for competing for results.
An ambitious Lidl-Trek ready to take on Pogacar
Álvarez’s first impressions of the team have been positive. The Spaniard highlights the working atmosphere and the quality of a squad facing high expectations in 2027. “There’s a very good atmosphere at work. We know it’s going to be a very important year, and the team has invested heavily in some very good riders,” he says.
The team’s collective goal is also clear. “We’ll come together like a family to become the best team in the world,” says the young rider, who believes the squad’s depth could become one of Lidl-Trek’s greatest strengths.
With so many riders capable of taking responsibility in different races, the team will have options and can approach the biggest events with ambition. Álvarez sees that wealth of talent as an advantage they must make the most of from the start of the season.
“We’re a very strong team and we have to make the most of that,” he says. Asked about the challenge of competing against Tadej Pogacar, the Spaniard does not shy away from the team’s ambitions: “We don’t have Pogacar, but with such a strong team we can start taking the fight to him.”
His words reflect the confidence within the team, although Álvarez knows his own contribution will have to be built step by step. Before thinking about major victories, he will need to learn from his teammates, fulfil his duties and seize the opportunities that arise throughout the season.
Read also
A champion’s pride and the future of Spanish cycling
For Álvarez, the European under-23 champion’s jersey means much more than a result. It rewards the work he put in during a season in which he established himself among the leading riders in his age group. “You feel proud and satisfied with all the work you’ve done,” he explains.
He had few chances to wear the jersey before the season ended, but his victory at Paris-Tours Espoirs gave him a special way to sign off: celebrating a win in the colours of the continental champion.
His appearance at the Memorial Clavero also had a personal side. During the event in Madrid, he rode alongside children just starting out in cycling and caught up with teammates he rarely sees during the season. The occasion also let him remember the support he received from Dani and Spiuk during his junior years.
Meeting young riders prompted him to reflect on the progress of Spanish cycling and the results its new generation is achieving. “The consistency and work we’re putting in at grassroots level are bringing so many talented riders through, and that’s helping us achieve all these results,” he says.
Héctor Álvarez has already completed an important part of that journey, with a European title and an international under-23 victory to his name before stepping up to the WorldTour. A different challenge now awaits, with new responsibilities and the chance to test himself against the best riders in the world.
His first major goal is clear: to win a professional race. Along the way, he would like to experience the Monuments, including San Remo, Flanders and Roubaix, learn alongside Filippo Ganna and Mads Pedersen, and contribute to Lidl-Trek’s ambitions. The next step in his development begins in 2027, a season he approaches with ambition, but also with the understanding that he still has a great deal to learn.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments