“The name in front is more important than the name on the back" - Lidl-Trek on the verge of big success believes general manager Luca Guercilena

With new investment from supermarket chain Lidl, there has been much transfer activity at Lidl-Trek during the current window. According to the team's general manager, Luca Guercilena, big success could be on the cards in the coming years.

“The name in front is more important than the name on the back,” Guercilena says to the team's official website. “We don’t have stars, but as a team we are stars, because we are always combative and we ride as a team. We find the stars among the anti-stars.”

The likes of Tao Geoghegan Hart, Jonathan Milan, Patrick Konrad, Andrea Bagioli and Carlos Verona are just some of the riders to make to switch to Lidl-Trek ready for 2024 with head talent scout, Markel Irizar believing it shows the positive work being done at the team is working.

“There’s a mentality here where we want riders to come here because they know they can improve as individuals, but it’s the team that counts,” Irizar says. “I try to explain that they are coming to a special place. I’m not gonna say that it is better or worse, but for me this team is special because I think it’s a family.”

“When we talk about athletes, you need to care about them,” Guercilena adds. “Because you’re talking with a rider who has a family. And as a sports director who represents a team that is invested in him, you need to build a relationship. The relationship is more than a contract. We offer support to riders, and don’t make any crazy promises, because we don’t even know if a young rider is going to step in and race.”

“We are not concerned about the future, we have a very good future,” Irizar concludes. “I think that we are not stressed to make the highest performance straightaway. We can go step by step. That’s why our philosophy with young riders is, ‘OK, no rush.’ We let them grow physically and mentally, step by step.”