"This is bound to cause some friction within the team": Brian Holm foresees a turbulent period for Lidl-Trek

The large-scale changes of Lidl-Trek management at the start of June have taken the cycling world by storm. And the game of musical chairs has involved also their upper-echelon competitors Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and Visma | Lease a Bike, all three teams changing staff at key management positions just ahead of the most important race of the season; the Tour de France.

In the Danish podcast Café Eddy, a big figure Brian Holm looks closer at what's happening behind the scenes at the team with many of Denmark's brightest prospects including Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and young talent Albert Withen Philipsen - as would naturally be his concern.

Holm in particular points out that the cycling's more and more adjusting to the laws of international business, as is the case in bigger markets such as football. "It is a very accurate picture of cycling right now. Big companies like Red Bull come in, step inside, take over, and fire eighty percent of the board. Something similar is happening at Lidl now."

What particularly bothers Holm is the striking timing of the release of this news. The announcement followed almost immediately after the finish of the Giro. "It is in the middle of the season. They haven't had a particularly good season at Lidl-Trek. That is bound to cause some friction within the team, and I didn't find the atmosphere in the camp as good as usual."

Former team manager and 1996 Tour de France winner, Bjarne Riis, has also joined the discussion surrounding this remarkable game of musical chairs. He openly questions whether Andy Schleck, newly promoted into Luca Guercilena's front chair at Lidl-Trek, is the right person to lead such a multi-million dollar company.

"That is a good question. I actually find him quite difficult. To many, Andy is still that cheerful guy they liked in the peloton. A guy who was just laid-back, and that is why they might have trouble seeing him in that role," Riis confessed his concerns.

"But a few years have passed, and he has undoubtedly matured considerably since he was a rider. He built up a successful bicycle business in Luxembourg and was involved with Skoda and the Tour of Luxembourg. So he is used to taking the lead."