Michael Schär joins Lidl-Trek as a DS for 2024 - " I had 18 years as a pro in the WorldTour and now I think stepping over to the other side is the right time"
Cycling
Michael Schär turned pro in 2006 and raced in the World Tour - and it's predecessor - throughout his whole career. Without a doubt, he is one of the most experienced people in the peloton and he is joining Lidl-Trek and one of the new Sporting Directors into 2024 most likely to support the team's classics ambitions.
“I have a good feeling to make the transition to life as a Sports Director at this moment. I had 18 years as a pro in the WorldTour and now I think stepping over to the other side is the right time," Schär said in a press release. "I’m looking forward to make the change from rider to director and start a new chapter. I’m super happy to join Lidl-Trek! In particular, I was thrilled when Luca Guercilena (Lidl-Trek General Manager) gave me the call... To get this call was a big honor for me and to join Lidl-Trek is something special.”
Schär has throughout his 18 years as a pro rider supported the likes of Alessandro Ballan, Philippe Gilbert and most notably Greg van Avermaet - with whom he raced together at BMC, CCC and lastly AG2R Citroën Team. The 37-year old had a tribute for his career at the Tour de Suisse, but ended his season recently at Paris-Tours. Behind the scenes he was already in talks with the American team, and he will be debuting in his new role from January onwards already.
“I was attracted to Lidl-Trek thanks to the fantastic team philosophy and culture. I already know some people from the staff group, and of course some riders," he continued. "I’m happy to move back into an American-style organization. It was cool to see that the riders and staff have such a strong bond together; as an external person being introduced to the group it felt good. What I’m most excited for is to see how the other side of the sport looks, in the car and getting into tactics. It’s a completely different facet of the sport and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this new challenge. I’m also really looking forward to learning from the existing DS group because it’s a very experienced group of great people, I can learn so much from them.”
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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.
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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)...
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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We're thrilled to announce that Michi Schär is joining our team of Sports Directors from 2024! 📰 racing.trekbikes.com/stories/lidl-t…
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