“Not every decision will please everyone” - Lidl-Trek's mission to find the balance as ambitious transfers see team boast multiple leaders

Cycling
Juan Ayuso at the 2026 Tour de France
Lidl-Trek will enter 2027 with one of the strongest and most ambitious rosters in its recent history. Juan Ayuso, Felix Gall and Mattias Skjelmose will join a host of other top names, while Mads Pedersen, Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna lead the team’s ambitions in the Classics, sprints and time trials.
That wealth of talent also brings a major challenge: managing egos, sharing opportunities and ensuring that having so many leaders does not become a problem. The team will need to make decisions about race calendars and sporting hierarchies, knowing that not everyone can have the role they want in every race.
Josu Larrazabal, one of the figures tasked with maintaining that balance, makes no secret of the scale of the challenge. He sees the presence of so many top riders as a consequence of the team’s growth and insists that it should not scale back its ambitions out of fear of internal tensions. Communication will be key, as will accepting that tough decisions are part of the path to success.
Speaking to Diario Marca at the Memorial Clavero, Larrazabal summed up his approach with a direct message: “Managing egos clearly requires direct, clear communication. We will have to make decisions that will not always please everyone, but that comes with the territory.” His comments point to a winter of important conversations within the American team.
Felix Gall finished 3rd at the Vuelta a Espana
Felix Gall finished 3rd at the Vuelta a Espana

Ayuso, Gall, Skjelmose and Ganna: too many leaders for one team

Lidl-Trek’s options extend well beyond its leading names. Derek Gee-West joins Ayuso, Gall and Skjelmose in the Grand Tour group, while Pedersen and Milan offer reliable options in sprints and the Classics. Ganna’s arrival also adds a new dimension in time trials and one-day races.
The Italian has already shown that he is willing to share responsibilities with Pedersen, suggesting that their partnership could become a strength.
The transfer market has added even greater depth, with Jordi Meeus, Jordan Jegat, Igor Arrieta, Gregor Mühlberger and Georg Zimmermann joining the team. Héctor Álvarez will also step up to the WorldTour after a strong end to the season impressed the team’s management. Giulio Ciccone’s departure, meanwhile, frees up a place in a squad seeking new combinations to compete across every terrain.

"This is the position we have wanted to reach for many years"

Larrazabal sees the situation as the result of years of work and growth. “This is the position we have wanted to reach for many years, as we have gradually grown. We must not hold back now,” he says. The message is clear: Lidl-Trek wants to make the most of its potential and not let the challenge of managing so many individual ambitions stand in its way.
One of the riders attracting the most attention is Héctor Álvarez. The young Spaniard will step up to the WorldTour after impressing at the ZLM Tour, the European Championships and Paris-Tours. His calendar will combine races where he can learn alongside leading riders such as Pedersen, Ganna and Milan with others where he will have opportunities of his own.
“A rider like Héctor will always have a good calendar that allows him to keep progressing,” Larrazabal explains. He will begin shaping the plans from 10 November. The ultimate goal, however, is unequivocal: “Victories, a Monument, a Grand Tour. Victories.” Lidl-Trek has the riders; now it must show it can turn that talent into wins.
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