Should a young rider be working this hard? Lidl-Trek come under fire for the training of Albert Philipsen

Albert Philipsen has found himself at the centre of controversy after training an additional 100 kilometres following a race, drawing heavy criticism for the decision. The Danish rider, who hails from Holte, is widely regarded as one of the biggest cycling talents of the moment. The 2023 world junior champion recently claimed victory in the young riders classification at the 2025 Tour Down Under, further cementing his reputation as a rising star.

Despite his success, concerns have been raised about his training methods. Romain Briquet, a French sports journalist, took to Facebook to criticise the approach. "In French, we use the word 'cramé' (exhausted) for young riders who train way too much at a young age and then at 25 or so 'have nothing left'. There are so many examples of this. Doing too much at 18 is the best way to lose your motivation and have a 'broken' body at 30. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. But again, I don't understand how the Lidl-Trek coaches can accept something like this for an 18-year-old rider."

Briquet also pointed to Denmark’s track record with young talents. "Actually, since you're Danish," he responds to a Danish Facebooker, "you should know better. Many young Danes who had incredible results in the juniors are nowhere today. Just look at Julius Johansen, Jakob Egholm or Gustav Wang. You are the kings of the world when it comes to proving my point."

Rory Sutherland, an Australian former pro who rode for Movistar Team and UAE Team Emirates, also weighed in on the matter. "As an 18-year-old with hopefully at least 12-15 years ahead of him in the sport, this is not only extreme, but poor coaching and a lack of long-term thinking about the health of an athlete."