Lidl-Trek’s first winter training camp is now underway, which means the start of the season is not far around the corner. After the traditional debut for Lidl-Trek’s men’s and women’s squads at the Tour Down Under, the next races on the calendar are Etoile de Bessèges, where Mads Pedersen will start his season, and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, which will feature new arrival Jonathan Milan. Tao Geoghegan Hart will have to wait a little longer before racing in the Lidl-Trek colours, with his debut planned for the Volta ao Algarve. Meanwhile, the Lidl-Trek women will return to the UAE Tour, with Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini looking to replicate their 2023 success.
As always, Lidl-Trek looks towards the Spring Classics with high ambition. The men’s classics squad will be bolstered by Milan, who is due to ride an extensive cobbled campaign, starting with the Opening Weekend. Aside from the addition of Milan, Lidl-Trek’s spring line-up remains fairly true to form, with Pedersen and Stuyven in action for the men, whilst Lizzie Deignan, Elisa Longo Borghini and Elisa Balsamo will show their collective force on the cobbles. They will be reunited with powerhouse Ellen van Dijk, who will return to the peloton after giving birth last year.
In 2024, Lidl-Trek will be fighting for success at all three Grand Tours. Starting with the Giro d’Italia, where Giulio Ciccone aims to show his best alongside Andrea Bagioli, Jonathan Milan and Jasper Stuyven, who is racing the Giro for the first time since 2017. At the Tour de France, Tao Geoghegan Hart will be given a leadership role and will be joined by Mads Pedersen, who also seeks to emulate his 2022 success with stage wins at the Tour de France as well as the Vuelta a España. Pedersen will be joined in Spain by fellow Dane Mattias Skjelmose, who takes aim at the General Classification.
There will be just as much ambition amongst the Lidl-Trek women, with Deignan, Longo Borghini and Realini all expected to ride the Vuelta Feminina, Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes, whilst Elisa Balsamo is due to join them at the Giro and Tour.
