Too many fish in the pond - Giulio Ciccone officially breaks contract with Lidl-Trek following change in priorities
Cycling
Giulio Ciccone had a contract running with Lidl-Trek all the way into the end of the 2029 season. That contract has been broken, with the two reaching an agreement to part ways as Ciccone is primed to make a move towards Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
"After eight seasons together, the Team and Giulio have reached the mutual decision to part ways, which means Il Lombardia will be the Italian’s final race in Lidl-Trek colours," Lidl-Trek announced in a press release.
"We want to thank Giulio for all he has done for the team and wish him all the best for the future". Short and to the point, the statement does not include quotes for Ciccone himself, team CEO Andy Schleck or anyone else at the team.
it is not believed that the two part ways in the most amicable terms, despite the success that Ciccone has achieved with the German team. Having signed with the team in 2019, he has won three stages at the Giro d'Italia and the KOM classification twice; the KOM classification at the Tour de France in 2023; and has taken almost a dozen wins with the team including the 2025 Clásica San Sebastián.
Aside from those, his palmarès includes several podium results in the various races: The recent 2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liége behind Tadej Pogacar; and second behind Remco Evenepoel at both the GP de Québec and Europeans Championships are quite noteworthy.
It has been reported that one of the major decisions for the decision to part ways was the 2026 Giro d'Italia. For the first time in his career, the 30-year old reached the maglia rosa, a major career achievement this spring on stage 4. The following day, Lidl-Trek was unable to control the race and saw Ciccone lose the jersey to breakaway standout Afonso Eulálio.
The unwillingness of the team to have Derek Gee - eventually fifth in the final overall classification - proved vital on that day for the team's demise. Ciccone, despite winning the maglia azurra at the Giro, was left frustrated with Visma's control of the mountain stages, which led him to not being able to win one.
Giulio Ciccone was second at the recent European Championships
Market overhaul for Lidl-Trek
Lidl-Trek are notably conducting a massive market overhaul. Not only has there been a major change in staff this year, the team has recently seen Max Walscheid retire prematurely despite his running contract; and Jacopo Mosca also retiring as the team lacked the space to conduct further signings into 2027.
It is widely believed that Filippo Ganna will join the team next season, also breaking his contract with Netcompany INEOS - which would make him the third rider from the British team to do so this year.
Ciccone has, over the past few weeks, been heavily linked with Tom Pidcock's Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. The move to the Swiss ProTeam would see him obtain a leadership he has not had at Lidl-Trek after this winter's signings of Juan Ayuso and Derek Gee - as well as the presence of Mattias Skjelmose and the presence of sprinters Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen.
Pinarello contract imminent
It is expected that within the next hours or days, there will be an announcement by Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on the signing of the Italian rider.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 7visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Yes, question is, why is Ineos so easy to convince ?Mistermaumau09-10-2026
- Or maybe they’ll just abandon the sport and focus on RE, unless they can revive MU. Maybe it’s all just about budget adjustments in preparation for takeover by the new sponsor who might have no use for some people in their idea of a projectMistermaumau09-10-2026
- Sounds like management did their job pretty well then ;-)Mistermaumau09-10-2026
- Tour down under awaits... and nothing beyond that
Rafionain-Glas09-10-2026 - God, what a crowd gathers in these comments. You post a quote from a true champion—a quote that has nothing to do with his tragic accident (on the contrary, with his very passion)—and people interpret it however suits them.MajorPayne09-10-2026
- What needs to be understood? That you're linking a single statement to his death? Could it get any more stupid?MajorPayne09-10-2026
- Are you saying that statement led him somewhere related to religion? Could it get any more stupid?MajorPayne09-10-2026
- A broken contract by mutual agreement is perfectly fine. The problem is if one side does it without the other agreeing which isn't the case in this situationvappaxbipmv09-10-2026
- Maybe Ineos are planning to concentrate on GC after recent statements about getting back to winning the Tour?Lozza09-10-2026
- lol maybe a better questionmij09-10-2026
Loading
5 Comments