"Tell me, which big leader doesn't get angry?": Lidl-Trek ready to manage Ayuso's fire and challenge UAE

Lidl-Trek is entering 2026 with a new look. After a winter of heavy investment, including the blockbuster signing of Juan Ayuso and the arrival of Derek Gee, the American team is positioning itself as super team ready to challenge UAE and Visma's hegemony in Grand Tours.

At the center of this transformation is Josu Larrazabal, the team’s Performance Manager, who is tasked with fitting these new pieces into an already star-studded puzzle. He gave an interview to bici.pro in which he talked about the current situation of the team.

Ayuso is an undeniable talent, but his departure from UAE Team Emirates - XRG was full of drama to say the least. He is said to have a strong temperament, but Larrazabal, however, dismissed those concerns.

"But tell me, which big leader doesn't get angry?" Larrazabal countered when asked about Ayuso's reputation. "Maybe they made him angry! We always start from scratch. We can't judge, we don't know what's behind it."

"It's happened more than once. Riders arrive from a team surrounded by rumors: 'have you heard', 'they said'... No, the reality is that you find another person in front of you. Now it's us, him Ayuso and the environment we are in. I am sure we will see a different Juan. On the Ayuso I have known in the last two months, I have nothing to say."

Larrazabal emphasized that handling demanding champions is part of the team's DNA. "Obviously they are demanding riders: staff, materials, tactics, athletes who focus on details. But, guys, we are also used to all this. We had Cancellara, Degenkolb, Contador, Nibali... we weren't born two days ago."

Interestingly, Ayuso seems to have integrated quickly, bonding with key figures such as Giulio Ciccone. According to Larrazabal, cultural similarities play a role. "In my opinion, also because they are culturally close. Verona and Bagioli are also close to him. In short, those with whom he will race the most."

The addition of a Grand Tour GC contender like Ayuso multiplies the team's tactical options, especially when paired with Mattias Skjelmose, who had a breakout 2025 season. "Juan is a rider who changes your team. You have a cyclone," Larrazabal explained.

"Many times we do double or triple activity and with two leaders you go as far as you can. Now we have a third one and this starts to multiply the options for us. I'll give you an example: we go with Skjelmose to Paris-Nice and Ciccone to Tirreno-Adriatico as we did last year, wherever Juan goes there will already be at least two leaders."

"And in those race situations, when you have two riders of that level, as a team, you're already put in a different situation," he continued. "Then, obviously, Juan has shown that he's very strong in time trials, that he's doing well in the general classifications, so we're also adding potential, not just one more rider. Ayuso has enormous potential, and we're truly motivated."

Ayuso's numbers are impressive, although Larrazabal surprisingly admitted that he hasn't looked at the raw data yet. "Would you believe me if I told you that since we signed him, I haven't looked at a single piece of data on Ayuso? Certain numbers, certain strictly technical aspects, are in the hands of his coach, Aritz Arberas."

Even if Ayuso has the potential to win a Grand Tour, the team is realistic that a certain rider from Slovenia called tadej Pogacar is still several steps ahead. "We are aware that we are called to great challenges. What I can say is that we can win, maybe even the Tour, but certainly not in the first year. Ours is a long-term project and we have the advantage that our leaders are young. But to win the big races it is not enough for the leader to be strong, the whole team must grow," he concluded.